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Section 

Number      


;9 


"/ 


THE  TWO  ST.  JOHNS 


OF 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 


BY 


JAMES  STALKER,  D.  D., 

AUTHOR   OF   "  IMAGO   CHRISTI,"    "  THE   LIFE   OF  ST.  PAUL,"   ETC. 


"in  devotional  pictures  we  often 
see  st.  john  the  evangelist  and 
st.  john  the  baptist  standing 
together,  one  on  each  side  of 

CHRIST." 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

lO  EAST   23d   STREET,   NEW   YORK. 


t- 


COPYRIGHT,  1895, 
AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 


GONTRNTS, 


ST.  JOHN  THE  APOSTLE. 

The  Disciple  Whom  Jesus  Loved page  9 

His  First  Meeting  with  Christ 23 

St.  John  at  Home "^^ 

St.  John  the  Apostle 5i 

St.  John  One  of  Three 65 

St.  John's  Besetting  Sin 79 

The  Disciple  Who  Loved  Jesus 95 

St.  John  and  the  Resurrection 109 

St.  John  at  Home  Again 123 

St.  John  in  the  Pentecostal  Age Hi 

St.  John  in  Patmos ^^5 

The  Writings  of  St.  John ^^9 


ST.  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


L  Birth  and  Upbringing 


189 


n.  The  Prophet 2*^^ 

IIL  The  Baptism  of  Jesus ^^3 

IV.  His  Testimony  to  Christ ^^4 

V.  The  Eclipse  of  his  Faith 236 

VL  His  Eulogy ^^'^ 

Vn.   His  Martyrdom ^59 


ST.  JOHN  THE  APOSTLE. 


THE 

DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS  LOYED. 


I. 

The  aureole  round  the  head  of  St.  John  is  that  he         ]^ 

was  "the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved."  This  statement 
about  him  is  made  several  times ;  and  in  different 
places  both  the  Greek  words  for  "loved"  are  em- 
ployed— both  the  colder,  which  expresses  esteem,  and 
the  more  heartfelt,  which  denotes  feeling  more  ten- 
der. As  among  the  patriarchs  Abraham  was  '  the 
friend  of  God,"  and  among  the  kings  David  was  "the 
man  after  God's  own  heart,"  and  among  the  prophets 
Daniel  was  the  "  man  greatb/  beloved,"  so  among  the 
followers  of  the  Son  of  God,  during  his  earthly  minis- 
try, St.  John  was  the  foremost  friend. 

We  cannot  help  asking  to  what  he  owed  this  prom- 
inence. 

Perhaps  something  was  due  to  an  extremely  natural 

cause  :  it  would  appear  that  St.  John  was,  according  to 

the  flesh,  a  cousin  of  Jesus.     The  way  in  which  this  is 

,  V-,  made  out  is  as  follows:    In  describing  the  crucifixion  St. 

{     Matthew  mentions  three  holy  women  as  witnesses  of  the 

tragic  scene — Mary  Magdalene,  Mary  the   mother  of 


lO  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM    JESUS   LOVED. 

James  and  Joses,  and  the  mother  of  Zebedee's  children ; 
St.  Mark  also  mentions  three — Mary  Magdalene,  Mary 
the  mother  of  James  the  Less  and  Joses,  and  Salome. 
In  St.  John  four  names  occur ;  the  first  place  is  given 
to  the  Virgin  Mary ;  but  the  other  three  are  Mary 
Magdalene,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas  (whom  we  know 
from  other  passages  as  the  father  of  James  and  Joses), 
and  Christ's  mother's  sister.  Thus,  leaving  the  Virgin 
aside,  we  find  two  places  in  each  of  the  three  lists 
occupied  by  the  same  two  women ;  but  she  who  occu- 
pies the  remaining  place  is  called  by  St.  Matthew  the 
mother  of  Zebedee's  children,  by  St.  Mark  Salome, 
and  by  St.  John  the  sister  of  the  mother  of  Jesus.  It  is 
inferred  that  she  who  is  designated  in  these  three  ways 
is  the  same  person :  her  own  name  was  Salome ;  she 
was  the  wife  of  Zebedee ;  and  she  was  the  sister  of  the 
mother  of  Jesus.  If  this  inference  be  correct,  of  course 
it  follows  that  she  was  the  aunt  of  Jesus,  and  that  her 
son  John  and  Jesus  were  full  cousins. 

Such  a  relationship  would  not  have  necessarily 
made  Jesus  and  John  friends  in  the  sense  indicated  by 
calling  John  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved.  It  might 
have  had  precisely  the  opposite  effect.  Mary's  own 
sons,  the  brothers  of  Jesus,  were  not,  during  his  life- 
time, believers ;  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  their 
very  familiarity  with  him  was  an  obstacle  to  faith. 
They  could  not  believe  that  one  to  whom  they  were  so 
closely  related  was  so  much  greater  than  themselves. 
They  had  seen  him  so  long  engaged  in  the  little  de- 
tails of  rural  existence  that  it  was  an  offence  to  their 
minds   when,   rising   from   their  narrow  lot,   he  made 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  II 

known  his  great  aims  and  claims.  Not  till  he  appeared 
to  one  of  them  alive  after  his  passion  was  their  unbelief 
overcome.  John  might  have  been  affected  in  the  same 
way  by  his  kinship  with  Jesus.  But,  when  he  escaped 
this  temptation,  the  natural  relationship  may  have  be- 
come a  bond  even  within  the  realm  of  grace.  It  was 
as  his  Saviour  that  John  loved  Jesus ;  but  this  may  not 
have  prevented  him  from  feeling  a  peculiarly  cordial 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  Christ  because  he  was  his 
cousin ;  and  while  Christ  loved  John  from  the  height 
of  his  divinity,  this  may  not  have  prevented  him  from 
being  drawn  to  him,  and  made  familiar  and  confiden- 
tial, by  the  operation  of  the  tie  of  nature. 

Cousinship  has  in  multitudes  of  cases  given  rise  to 
delightful  and  helpful  associations.  There  is,  indeed,  a 
form  of  philosophy  which  scoffs  at  the  obligations  cre- 
ated by  such  relationships.  The  other  day  a  prominent 
and  educated  Socialist  asked  in  public  why  he  should 
have  more  to  do  with  his  own  brother,  if  he  bored 
him,  than  with  any  other  man,  if  he  was  a  good  fellow. 
But  nature  is  not  thus  to  be  turned  out  of  doors  ;  hu- 
man nature,  also,  is  wiser ;  and  Christianity,  while  not 
deifying  natural  relationships,  as  some  religions  have 
done,  honors  and  hallows  them.  Never  were  all  the 
beautiful  and  useful  possibilities  of  cousinship  so  dem- 
onstrated as  when  Jesus  admitted  John  to  the  position 
of  the  disciple  whom  he  loved. 


12  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


II. 


Although  the  influence  of  a  natural  relationship 
may  have  entered  into  the  Saviour's  predilection  for 
this  disciple,  this  circumstance  could  have  had  no 
weight  at  all  unless  there  had  been  in  St.  John  qualities 
to  support  the  claim  of  kinship.  But  he  was  one 
formed  by  nature  to  be  loved. 

If  his  mother  really  was  the  sister  of  Mary,  this 
points  to  hereditary  advantages  enjoyed  by  St.  John. 
Without  having  any  sympathy  with  such  a  doctrine 
as  the  Immaculate  Conception,  we  cannot  help  believ- 
ing that  she  who  was  chosen  from  among  all  the 
daughters  of  Eve  to  be  the  mother  of  the  Perfect 
Man  was,  both  in  mind  and  body,  a  rare  specimen 
of  womanhood — pure,  gentle  and  gracious.  Although 
her  estate  was  lowly,  the  blood  of  kings  was  in  her 
veins,  and  in  her  mind  and  manners  there  worked 
the  subtle  influence  of  long  descent.  Now,  what  Mary 
was,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  her  sister  also  was  in  her 
own  degree ;  and  she  was  able  to  impart  hereditary 
advantages  to  her  son. 

Certainly  there  are  some  of  the  children  ol  men 
who  appear  to  be  formed  of  finer  clay  than  their  neigh- 
bors and  cast  in  a  gentler  mould.  Not  infrequently 
their  superiority  is  stamped  even  on  the  outward  man, 
their  faces  carrying  a  certificate  of  excellence  which 
predisposes  all  who  see  them  in  their  favor.  They  are 
marked  out  for  love ;    and,  if  they  bear  their  honors 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  1 3 

meekly,  and  if  the  inward  disposition  corresponds  with 
the  outward  promise,  they  do  not  as  a  rule  miss  the 
enviable  destiny  for  which  nature  has  intended  them. 
The  religious  painters  of  all  ages,  with  whom  St.  John 
has  always  been  a  favorite  subject,  have  been  unani- 
mous in  representing  him  as  one  of  this  type.  Mrs. 
Jameson,  in  her  "Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,"  says, 
"  St.  John,  in  Western  art,  is  always  young  or  in  the 
prime  of  life,  with  Httle  or  no  beard,  with  flowing  or 
curling  hair,  generally  of  a  pale  brown  or  golden  hue, 
to  express  the  delicacy  of  his  nature,  and  in  his  coun- 
tenance an  expression  of  dignity  and  candor."  How 
far  in  detail  the  actual  St.  John  may  have  answered 
to  this  description  it  is  of  course  impossible  to  say, 
but  there  can  be  but  httle  doubt  that  the  underlying 
idea  is  correct. 

His  must  have  been  a  fine  and  a  gifted  nature.  He 
was  especially  strong  in  the  region  of  the  affections — 
profoundly  loving  and  sympathetic ;  the  heart  of  Jesus 
could  not  have  gone  out  so  cordially  to  him  unless  it 
had  met  with  a  corresponding  return.  Yet  it  is  a 
mistake  to  think  of  John's  nature  as  a  mere  pulp  of 
softness  and  toleration.  There  are  clear  indications, 
both  in  the  incidents  of  his  hfe  and  in  his  writings,  that 
there  burned  in  him  great  moral  intensity,  and  that 
he  was  capable  of  strong  moral  indignation.  To  speak 
in  the  language  of  philosophy,  he  was  not  of  the  lethar- 
gic temperament,  but  of  the  melancholic.  This  is  the 
temperament  which  beneath  an  outward  demeanor  some- 
what resembling  lethargy  conceals  the  surest  and  swift- 
est insight;   it  keeps  silence  and  broods,  but  its  fire 


14  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

is  only  suppressed ;  it  is  the  temperament  which  the 
ancients  attributed  to  their  greatest  men— to  a  Sopho- 
cles and  a  Plato,  to  the  philosopher,  the  poet,  the 
genius. 

St.  John's  writings  are  before  us  to  show  what  he 
was  as  a  thinker,  and  they  thoroughly  bear  out  this 
estimate.  No  doubt  they  are  inspired,  and  the  glory 
in  them  is  due  to  the  Spirit  of  God ;  but  inspiration 
did  not  overlook  or  override  the  individuality  of  the 
human  agents  whom  it  employed,  but  made  use  of  it, 
allowing  them  to  speak  with  their  own  accent  and  to 
think  in  accordance  with  the  peculiarities  of  their 
minds.  Now  of  all  the  New  Testament  writers  St. 
John  is  the  most  peculiar.  He  cannot  make  a  remark, 
or  describe  a  scene,  or  report  a  conversation  or  a 
speech,  without  doing  it  as  no  one  else  could.  His 
peculiarity  has  been  described  by  calling  him  a  mystic : 
he  does  not  deal  much  with  the  outsides  of  things, 
but  lays  hold  of  everything  from  within.  A  scene  or 
occurrence  is  only  interesting  to  him  on  account  of  the 
idea  which  it  embodies.  His  thinking  is  intuitive :  he 
does  not  reason  like  St.  Paul,  or  exhort  like  St.  Peter, 
but  concentrates  his  vision  on  the  object,  which  opens 
to  his  steady  gaze.  His  ideas  are  not  chains  of  argu- 
ment, united  link  to  link,  but  like  stars  shining  out 
from  a  background  of  darkness.  He  often  appears  to 
speak  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  but  under  the 
simple  form  are  concealed  thoughts  which  wander 
through  eternity.  Although  the  materials  for  writing 
the  life  of  St.  John  are  meagre,  yet  no  other  figure  of 
the  New  Testament — not  even  St.  Paul  or  St.  Peter — 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  1 5 

makes  such  a  distinct  impression  on  the  mind  of  every 
reader.  This  is  due  to  his  marvellous  originality ; 
and  it  is  easy  to  conceive  what  a  satisfaction  it  must 
have  been  to  Christ  to  have  in  the  circle  of  his  fol- 
lowers one  in  whom  the  profundities  of  his  doctrine 
and  the  finer  shades  ol  his  sentiments  were  sure  of 
sympathetic  appreciation. 


l6  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


III. 

In  spite  of  these  natural  advantages  and  graces, 
it  is  true  in  the  fullest  sense  that  St.  John  was  made 
by  Christ.  That  which  the  Saviour  loved  in  him  was 
produced  by  Himself;  and  here  we  come  upon  the 
deepest  reason  of  the  attachment  between  them.  Per- 
haps no  one  whom  Jesus  ever  met  so  much  resembled 
him  in  natural  configuration  ;  but  Jesus  brought  out 
all  that  was  best  in  John,  and  repressed  or  destroy- 
ed what  was  evil.  He  imparted  himself  to  his  dis- 
ciple, who  did  not  thereby  become  less  himself,  but 
grew  to  be  what  he  could  never  have  been  without 
this  influence.  The  loving  nature  of  the  disciple  found 
in  Christ  an  excellence  on  which  it  could  lavish  all 
its  affection.  In  the  sayings  of  Christ  his  mind  ob- 
tained truths  on  which  it  could  brood  for  ever,  finding 
beneath  every  depth  a  deeper  still.  The  supreme 
characteristic  of  St.  John's  thinking  is  that  Christ  him- 
self is  its  centre  and  circumference.  Face  to  face 
he  was  gazing  on  the  person  of  Christ,  and,  while  this 
steady,  unaverted  look  revealed  the  Saviour,  it  at  the 
same  time  transfigured  himself. 

Remarkable  as  were  John's  natural  powers,  there 
is  no  reason  to  believe  that,  apart  from  Christ,  he 
would  ever  have  burst  through  the  obscurity  in  which 
the  life  of  a  Galilean  fisherman  was  enveloped,  or  have 
become  an  influence  in  the  world.  But  for  the  redeem- 
ing power  of  Christ  his  fine  quahties  might  even  have 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  17 

been  wasted  on  sinful  excesses,  as  the  powers  of  genius 
and  the  wealth  of  sympathetic  natures  have  often  been. 
But  the  Saviour  not  only  developed  and  sanctified 
John's  character,  but  made  him  a  power  for  good :  he 
set  him  on  one  of  the  thrones  from  which  the  most 
regal  spirits  rule  the  destinies  of  the  race. 

It  was  not,  indeed,  vouchsafed  to  St.  John  to  take 
such  a  part  as  St.  Peter  in  the  founding  of  the  church. 
In  the  Pentecostal  days,  when  the  two  were  associated, 
St.  Peter  was  always  foremost  both  in  speech  and 
action,  St.  John  taking  a  secondary  and  subordinate 
place.  Still  less  had  he  the  world- conquering  instincts 
and  the  organizing  genius  of  St.  Paul.  He  had  his 
own  share,  indeed,  in  the  blessed  work  of  spreading 
the  gospel  and  founding  the  church.  There  is  a  legend 
of  his  later  life,  not  without  a  considerable  air  of  verisi- 
mihtude,  which  illustrates  his  evangelistic  zeal.  Preach- 
ing in  a  certain  town  near  Ephesus  he  was  particularly 
struck  with  a  young  man  among  his  auditors,  and, 
at  his  departure,  specially  recommended  him  to  the 
bishop  of  the  place,  who  took  him  home  and  educated 
him  until  he  was  fit  for  baptism.  But  the  youth  fell 
into  evil  courses,  renounced  his  profession,  and  at  last 
went  so  far  as  to  become  the  captain  of  a  band  of  rob- 
bers. Subsequently  visiting  the  same  town,  St.  John 
approached  the  bishop  and  asked,  "Where  is  the 
pledge  entrusted  to  you  by  Christ  and  me  ?"  At  first 
the  bishop  did  not  understand,  but  when  he  remem- 
bered he  replied,  "He  is  dead — dead  to  God,"  and 
told  the  sad  story  of  backsliding.  Immediately  pro- 
curing  a   horse,   the  apostle  set   off  for  the  robber's 

? 


l8  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

Stronghold.  He  was  captured  by  one  of  the  band  and 
brought  before  the  captain,  who,  recognizing  who  his 
prisoner  was,  attempted  to  flee.  But  the  apostle  de- 
tained him  by  entreaties,  reasoned  with  him,  prayed 
with  him,  and  never  rested  till  the  prodigal  returned 
to  the  bosom  of  the  church,  a  pattern  of  penitence. 

Of  such  scenes  there  may  have  been  many  in  St. 
John's  career,  but,  on  the  whole,  while  others  were 
converting  the  world  he  was  a  force  in  reserve.  Yet 
there  slumbered  in  him  the  possibihty  and  the  inten- 
tion of  a  priceless  service;  and  he  brought  it  to  per- 
fection when,  in  his  gospel,  he  gave  to  mankind  the 
final  and  incomparable  portrait  of  the  Son  of  God. 

There  are  many  services.  There  is  that  which 
can  be  rendered  immediately,  and  there  is  that  which 
must  ripen  first  for  a  lifetime.  The  ardent  young  dis- 
ciple, intent  on  the  undertakings  of  the  hour,  may 
hardly  believe  at  all  in  the  Christianity  of  the  thinker, 
whose  slowly  matured  thoughts  will  be  fertilizing  the 
church  for  hundreds  of  years  after  his  zealous  critic  is 
forgotten.  But  the  church  has  need  of  those  who  toil 
in  the  depths  as  well  as  of  those  who  busy  themselves 
on  the  surface.  She  needs  her  Dantes  and  Miltons  as 
well  as  her  Whitefields  and  Wesleys ;  her  Augustines 
and  Pascals  as  well  as  her  Columbuses  and  Living- 
stones ;  she  requires  not  only  the  fiery  energy  of  St. 
Peter  and  the  mighty  argumentation  of  St.  Paul,  but 
the  exquisite  feehng  and  the  mysdc  depth  of  St.  John. 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  I9 


IV. 


It  was  a  special  mark  of  the  Lord's  affection  for 
St.  John  that  he  suffered  him  to  Hve  to  a  great  age. 
This  he  indicated  himself,  when  he  said  to  St.  Peter, 
"  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to 
thee  ?"  At  the  beginning  St.  John  appears  to  have 
been  the  youngest  of  the  apostolic  circle,  but  at  the 
close  of  life  he  survived  all  the  rest.  The  age  at 
which  he  died  is  variously  given  by  tradition  from 
ninety  up  to  a  hundred  and  twenty  years. 

The  grace  of  this  divine  appointment  is  apparent 
when  we  recollect  that  it  was  in  extreme  old  age  that 
his  Gospel  was  composed ;  and  the  same  is  probably 
true  of  his  Epistles.  These  writings  were  fruit  from  an 
old  tree ;  but  the  tree  was  not  losing  its  sap ;  on  the 
contrary,  the  fruit  was  only  then  fully  ripe;  and  if  the 
tree  had  been  cut  down  earlier  its  fruit  would  never 
have  been  gathered. 

Besides,  the  disposition  and  character  of  St.  John 

were  of  a  type  which  shows  to  great  advantage  in  old 

age.     There  are  natures  to  which  the  gay  poet's  words 

apply, 

"  That  age  is  best  which  is  the  first, 
When  youth  and  blood  are  warmer  ; 
But,  being  spent,  the  worse  and  worst 
Times  still  succeed  the  former." 

There  are  even  types  ol  religious  character  of  which 
this  is  true ;  it  is  best  to  see  them  when  their  zeal  is 


20  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

new  and  their  speculation  fresh :  afterwards  they  ap- 
pear exhausted,  or  they  harden  into  dogmatism  and 
censoriousness.  But  St.  John's  rehgion  was  of  the 
type  described  by  a  poet  of  a  different  order : 

"  And  in  old  age,  when  others  fade, 
Their  fruit  still  forth  shall  bring, 
They  shall  be  fat  and  full  of  sap. 
And  aye  be  flourishing." 

His  later  Hfe  is  surrounded  with  a  halo  of  legends, 
which  unite  in  conveying  the  impression  that  his  old 
age  was  exquisitely  beautiful.  Thus,  it  is  told  that  he 
used  to  keep  a  tame  partridge ;  and  one  day  a  noble 
huntsman,  coming  upon  him  as  he  was  fondling  it,  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  a  man  of  such  renown  and  un- 
worldHness  should  be  so  trivially  engaged.  But  the 
saint  answered  him,  "  Why  is  it  that  you  do  not  carry 
the  bow  in  your  hand  always  bent?"  And  when  the 
huntsman  answered,  "  Because  then  it  would  lose  its 
elasticity."  "  So,"  rejoined  the  saint,  "  do  I  relax  my 
mind  with  what  appears  to  you  a  trivial  amusement, 
that  it  may  have  more  spring  and  freshness  when  I 
apply  it  to  divine  mysteries."  Everyone  knows  the 
legend  of  how,  when  too  old  and  weak  to  walk,  he 
used  to  be  carried  into  the  Christian  assembly  and, 
when  seated  in  the  teacher's  chair,  to  utter  only  the 
words,  "  Little  children,  love  one  another ;"  and  how, 
when  they  asked  him  why  he  always  repeated  this 
precept,  he  said,  *'  Because,  if  you  have  learned  to  love, 
you  need  nothing  more."  A  legend  also  obtained  cur- 
rency, that,  being  of  priestly  descent,  he  wore  on  his 
brov/  in  old  age  the  petalon  of  the  high  priest,  that  is, 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED.  21 

the  golden  plate,  fastened  on  a  blue  band,  with  the 
inscription,  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord."  But  obviously 
this  is  only  a  mythical  expression  for  the  impression 
produced  by  the  priestlike  dignity  and  the  beauty 
of  holiness  with  which  his  old  age  was  encompassed. 
Indeed,  the  fragrance  of  love,  truth  and  sanctity 
which  breathed  from  this  life  in  its  later  stages  lin- 
gered in  the  atmosphere  of  the  early  Church  for  gen- 
erations. 

Some  have  regarded  this  late  development  of  St. 
John's  influence  as  a  prophecy.  St.  Peter  first  stamped 
himself  on  the  Church,  then  St.  Paul,  last  St.  John. 
And,  as  it  was  in  that  first  period  of  Christianity,  so 
was  it  to  be  in  the  subsequent  ages.  For  fourteen  cen- 
turies St.  Peter  ruled  Christendom,  as  was  symbolized 
by  the  church  inscribed  with  his  name  in  the  city 
which  was,  for  most  of  that  period,  the  centre  of  the 
Christian  world;  then,  at  the  Reformation,  St.  Paul's 
influence  took  the  place  of  St.  Peter's,  St.  Paul's  doc- 
trines being  the  soul  of  Protestantism.  But  the  turn  of 
St.  John  has  still  to  come :  his  spirit  will  dominate  the 
millennial  age.  Perhaps  in  the  individual  Christian 
three  such  stages  may  also  be  distinguished  —  the 
period  of  zeal  to  begin  with,  when  we  resemble  St. 
Peter;  the  period  of  steady  work  and  reasoned  con- 
viction, when  we  follow  in  the  steps  of  St.  Paul ;  the 
period  of  tolerance  and  love,  when  we  are  acquiring 
the  spirit  of  St.  John.  But  we  will  not  defer  to  any 
distant  stage  of  life  the  imitation  of  the  apostle  of  love. 
"  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three ;  but 
the  greatest  of  these  is  charity."     "  Love  is  the  fulfill- 


22  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM    JESUS   LOVED. 

ing  of  the  law  ;"  and  it  is  the  fulfilment  of  life ;  it  is 
both  the  perfection  and  the  blessedness  of  humanity. 
But  where  shall  it  be  found?  what  is  its  secret?  St. 
John,  who  knew,  has  told  us  :  it  springs  from  faith  in 
him  who  is  love,  and  in  the  work  which  love  led  him 
to  do  on  our  behalf:  "  We  love  him,  because  he  first 
loved  us." 


HIS    FIRST    MEETING    WITH    CHRIST. 


HIS  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  CHRIST, 


V. 

Contact  with  Christ  was  not  the  beginning  of  the 
religious  experience  of  St.  John.  He  had  been  caught 
in  another  religious  movement  before  he  was  connected 
with  that  of  which  Christ  was  the  centre.  He  was  a 
disciple  of  the  Baptist  before  becoming  a  disciple  of 
Christ. 

At  the  close  of  many  barren  generations,  during 
which  prophecy  had  been  dumb  and  spiritual  death 
had  brooded  over  the  land,  suddenly,  in  the  valley  of 
the  Jordan,  a  voice  was  raised  in  which  the  authentic 
thunder  of  inspiration  was  clearly  discernible  :  and  sim- 
ultaneously the  Wind  of  God  began  to  move  and  mur- 
mur in  every  part  ot  the  land.  Noteworthy  it  is  how 
any  voice  or  movement  in  which  the  Divine  actually 
announces  itself  stirs  the  sleeping  instincts  of  humanity ; 
for  man  is  made  for  God,  and,  however  dead  his  reli- 
gious nature  may  appear  to  be,  it  is  only  slumbering : 
let  the  right  summons  be  heard  and  it  will  respond. 
The  rumor  of  the  Baptist's  preaching  quickly  spread 
from  Dan  to  Beersheba;  and  in  susceptible  souls  it 
awakened  curiosity  and  longing.  It  drew  the  shepherd 
from  the  hill,  the  husbandman  from  the  vineyard,  the 
fisherman  from  his  boats,  and  even  the  rabbi  from  his 
books.     Its  influence  was  especially  potent  over  young 


24  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM    JESUS   LOVED. 

men  ;  and  in  the  crowds  which  soon  thronged  the  banks 
of  the  river  where  John  baptized  were  the  brightest 
and  most  promising  spirits  of  the  nation. 

Among  these  was  St.  John,  attracted  southward 
from  his  occupation  on  the  Sea  of  GaHlee.  And  he 
was  not  only  one  of  the  Baptist's  hearers  but  one  of 
his  disciples.  The  first  time  we  see  him  he  is  closely- 
attached  to  the  Baptist's  person  :  "  John  stood,  and 
two  of  his  disciples,"  one  of  whom  was  Andrew  and  the 
other  John.  This  shows  that  the  movement  had  had 
free  course  in  his  spirit :  he  had  taken  in  the  Baptist's 
message,  submitted  to  the  baptismal  rite,  and,  instead 
of  at  once  returning  home,  remained  to  profit  by  his 
instruction. 

Two  things  this  experience  must  have  done  for 
the  future  apostle.  The  Baptist's  preaching  consisted 
of  two  principal  parts  :  first,  the  message  of  repentance, 
and,  secondly,  the  announcement  that  the  kingdom  of 
God  was  at  hand. 

St.  John,  then,  had  repented.  The  sense  of  guilt 
had  been  awakened  in  him,  and  he  had  felt  the  pain 
and  shame  of  being  self  -  condemned  and  God-con- 
demned. What  the  particular  sins  may  have  been 
which  had  marred  his  early  fife  and  now  rose  up  to 
trouble  his  conscience  we  cannot  tell.  It  is  easy  to 
conceive  the  profanity  and  recklessness  on  which  St. 
Peter,  in  the  same  circumstances,  had  to  look  back ; 
but  one  would  suppose  that  the  boyhood  and  youth 
of  St.  John  had  been  singularly  free  from  anything 
gross  or  regrettable.  The  sense  of  sin  is  not,  how- 
ever, proportionate  to  the  magnitude  of  guilt.     While 


His  first  meeting  with  Christ.         ^5 

the  worst  sinners  are  often  utterly  insensible  to  their 
own  spiritual  deformity,  the  whitest  souls  a*  e  sensitively 
aware  of  their  own  shortcomings.  There  is  no  human 
life,  either  in  youth  or  age,  so  perfect  but  that,  when 
enlightened  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  will  see  itself  to  be 
altogether  as  an  unclean  thing. 

This  experience  exerted  on  St.  John  a  lifelong 
influence.  He  became  the  apostle  of  love,  and  it  is 
to  him  more  than  anyone  else  that  the  world  owes  the 
doctrine  that  God  is  love ;  but,  unlike  some  teachers, 
who,  starting  from  this  position,  have  represented  God 
as  so  loving  that  He  overlooks  the  guilt  of  erring  hu- 
man beings,  St.  John  combines  the  doctrine  of  love  with 
the  profoundest  and  even  sternest  views  in  regard  to 
the  sinfulness  of  humanity  and  the  need  of  penitence 
and  atonement.  Shallow  views  in  theology  are  gen- 
erally due  to  slight  personal  experience  of  repentance. 
But  St.  John  went  through  the  school  of  the  Baptist 
to  the  school  of  Christ ;  and  the  deepest  Christian  spirits 
have  followed  the  same  pathway. 

The  other  element  in  the  Baptist's  message  was 
no  less  influential.  He  proclaimed  that  the  kingdom 
of  God  was  at  hand.  This  was  the  revival  of  the  hope 
which  had  stirred  the  godly  and  the  patriotic  in  Israel 
for  hundreds  of  years — the  hope  of  the  reign  of  God  in 
the  land  and  in  the  world,  which  meant  at  the  same 
time  the  reign  of  righteousness  and  peace.  This  lifted 
St.  John  and  the  other  disciples  of  the  Baptist  out  of 
themselves,  to  take  an  interest  in  the  weal  of  their 
country  and  the  welfare  of  humanity.  To  a  youthful 
mind  nothing  is  so  good  as  the  awakening  of  unselfish 


26  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

enthusiasm.  Childhood  is  ensheathed  in  an  uncon- 
scious and  natural  selfishness;  manhood  is  too  often 
the  prey  of  deliberate  selfishness ;  but  in  youth  every- 
one who  is  at  all  divinely-souled  feels  stirrings  of  the 
desire  to  live  for  others  and  to  make  the  world  better. 
Too  often,  indeed,  these  emotions  are  short-lived: 
having  nothing  substantial  to  feed  upon  they  die  away, 
and  selfishness  supervenes.  But  St.  John  obtained 
from  the  Baptist  faith  in  a  cause  fitted  not  only  to  feed 
enthusiasm  but  to  increase  it ;  for  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  an  object  on  which  unselfish  passion  can  expend  all 
its  resources ;  and  it  outlives  every  individual  sup- 
porter. 

These  two  experiences  go  well  together  and  sup- 
plement each  other.  Repentance  alone  makes  the 
spirit  morbid,  and,  if  indulged  too  exclusively,  may 
degenerate  into  a  form  of  selfishness.  Enthusiasm  for 
the  kingdom  of  God,  on  the  other  hand,  if  unconnected 
with  repentance  is  apt  to  become  visionary  and  vain- 
glorious :  many  are  willing  to  reform  the  world  who 
need  first  to  be  reformed  themselves.  The  true  order 
is  that  of  John's  experience:  to  begin  within,  with 
reconciliation  to  God,  and  then,  with  a  spirit  of  union 
with  him,  to  go  forth  to  the  regeneration  of  humanity. 


HIS   FIRST    MEETING   WITH   CHRIST.  2/ 


VI. 

How  long  John  was  a  disciple  of  the  Baptist  we 
cannot  tell.  But  at  last  he  was  ripe  for  further  devel- 
opment. 

It  is  the  immortal  glory  of  the  Baptist  that  he  was 
fully  conscious  of  the  preparatory  and  subordinate 
nature  of  his  own  mission.  His  was  only  a  herald's 
voice  announcing  the  approach  of  the  King.  Others 
attempted  to  make  him  a  rival  of  the  Messiah  ;  but 
"  he  confessed,  and  denied  not,  but  confessed,  I  am  not 
the  Christ,"  and  added,  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must 
decrease."  Never,  however,  was  this  attitude  so  diffi- 
cult as  when  he  had  to  transfer  his  own  disciples  to 
Christ.  To  have  in  his  company  one  like  St.  John 
must  have  been  an  unspeakable  satisfaction  ;  but,  as  he 
stood  with  St.  John  and  St.  Andrew,  he  pointed  to 
Jesus  passing  by  and  said,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God," 
thus  releasing  them  from  further  adherence  to  himself. 

It  is  generally  taken  for  granted  that,  of  the  two 
elements  in  the  Baptist's  message,  the  second  —  the 
coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God — was  at  first  the  one 
most  prominent  in  the  minds  of  the  followers  of  Jesus  : 
they  are  supposed  to  have  been  drawn  to  him  chiefly 
by  Messianic  hopes :  but  these  words  appear  to  indi- 
cate that  the  reverse  was  the  case,  and  that  the  first 
part  of  John's  message — the  experience  of  repentance — 
was  that  in  which  they  were  chiefly  absorbed. 

It  is,  indeed,  a  question  what  precisely  the  Baptist 


28  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

meant  by  designating  Jesus  as  "  the  Lamb  of  God."  A 
choice  passage  in  an  exquisite  book  derives  the  name 
from  the  imagery  of  the  twenty-third  Psalm — that  lay 
of  perfect  peace — "  the  most  complete  picture  of  hap- 
piness that  ever  was  or  can  be  drawn.  It  represents 
that  state  of  mind  for  which  all  alike  sigh,  and  the  want 
of  which  makes  life  a  failure  to  most;  it  represents 
that  heaven  which  is  everywhere  if  we  could  but  enter 
it,  and  yet  almost  nowhere  because  so  few  of  us  can. 
The  two  or  three  who  win  it  may  be  called  victors  in 
life's  conflict ;  to  them  belongs  the  reg^ium  et  diadema 
tutum.  They  may  pass  obscure  lives  in  humble  dwell- 
ings, or,  like  Fra  Angelico,  in  a  narrow  monastic  cell, 
but  they  are  vexed  by  no  flap  of  unclean  wings  about 
the  ceiHng.  From  some  such  humble  dwelling  Christ 
came  to  receive  the  prophet's  baptism.  The  Baptist 
was  no  lamb  of  God.  He  was  a  wrestler  with  life ;  one 
to  whom  peace  of  mind  does  not  come  easily,  but  only 
after  a  long  struggle.  He  was  among  the  dogs  rather 
than  among  the  lambs  of  the  Shepherd.  He  recog- 
nized the  superiority  of  Him  whose  confidence  had 
never  been  disturbed,  whose  steadfast  peace  no  agita- 
tions of  life  had  ever  ruffled.  He  did  obeisance  to  the 
royalty  of  inward  happiness."  These  beautiful  words 
undoubtedly  express  a  truth  and  afford  a  genuine 
glimpse  of  Jesus  and  the  Baptist  on  this  occasion  ;  but 
they  leave  out  the  words — "  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world." 

Others  have  gone  back  for  the  derivation  of  the 
Baptist's  phrase  to  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
especially  to  the  words,  '*  He  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to 


HIS   FIRST    MEETING   WITH    CHRIST.  29 

the  slaughter,  and,  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is 
dumb,  so  he  openeth  not  his  mouth."  This  would  de- 
monstrate that  John  had  grasped  the  idea  of  a  suffering 
Messiah.  The  opposition  which  he  had  met  with  him- 
self and  his  observation  of  the  temper  of  the  people, 
and  especially  of  the  ruling  classes,  had  convinced  him 
that  the  Messiah,  instead  of  being  welcomed  with  open 
arms,  would  be  opposed  and  persecuted ;  thus  the  sin 
of  the  world  would  concentrate  itself  on  Him,  and  He 
would  have  to  endure  the  consequences. 

But  more  than  this  must  surely  be  in  the  name. 
Whether  or  not,  as  others  suppose,  the  Baptist  had  in 
his  mind  the  paschal  lamb  or  other  lambs  of  sacrifice, 
when  we  remember  to  whom  he  was  speaking — to  his 
own  disciples,  who  had  undergone  in  his  school  the 
disciphne  of  repentance  —  we  cannot  but  conclude  that 
by  the  Lamb  taking  away  the  sin  of  the  world  he 
intended  to  point  Christ  out  as  one  who  could  deal 
more  effectively  with  sin  than  he  had  been  able  to  do. 
His  own  work  was  preliminary :  he  aroused  the  con- 
science, but  he  could  not  satisfy  it.  What,  then,  was 
the  next  step  ?  What  virtue  was  to  be  looked  for  in 
the  Fulfiller  who  was  to  come  after  John  ?  While  it 
would  be  unhistorical  to  attribute  to  the  Baptist  a  de- 
veloped doctrine  of  atonement,  it  is  equally  to  miss 
the  point  of  the  situation  not  to  recognize  that  the  prime 
recommendation  of  the  Messiah  to  those  whom  John  was 
addressing  was  that  he  should  be  the  Saviour  from  sin. 


30  THE   DISCIPLE    WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 


VII. 

Encouraged  by  their  master,  and  attracted  by 
the  appearance  of  Christ,  the  two  disciples  of  the  Bap- 
tist followed  the  departing  figure  of  Jesus.  Hearing 
their  footsteps  behind  him,  he  turned  and  asked, 
"What  seek  ye?"  This  is  the  first  saying  of  our 
Lord  recorded  by  St.  John ;  and  some  have  found  in  it 
deep  meanings — as  if  it  were  an  invitation  to  all  to  seek 
from  him  whatever  they  desired,  and  he  would  satisfy 
them.  But  we  will  content  ourselves  with  something 
simpler  —  its  consideration  and  kindness.  The  two 
seekers  were  shy,  and  afraid  to  introduce  themselves ; 
those  at  their  stage  of  experience  often  are.  A  very 
little  will  sometimes  turn  aside  an  inquiring  spirit. 
But  Jesus  met  them  half-way  and  put  them  at  their 
ease.  They  replied  by  asking  him  where  he  dwelt, 
evidently  intimating  that  they  intended  sometime  to 
pay  him  a  visit.  But  he  invited  them  to  an  inter- 
view at  once,  saying,  "  Co'hie  and  see."  This  also 
teaches  a  lesson :  seekers  ought  to  be  dealt  with 
without  delay,  because  their  impressions  are  apt  to 
evaporate.  Many  have  intended  to  visit  Christ,  put- 
ting off,  however,  till  to-morrow ;  but  some  form  of 
distraction  has  come  in,  and  the  intention  has  never 
been  carried  into  effect. 

So  Jesus  took  the  young  men  with  him  to  the 
lodging  in  which  he  was  staying,  and  they  abode  with 
him  that  day.     St.  John  tells  us  the  very  hour  of  the 


HIS   FIRST    MEETING   WITH    CHRIST.  3 1 

clock  when  this  happened  :  "  it  was  the  tenth  hour," 
which  some  take  to  mean  ten  in  the  forenoon,  others 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  At  all  events  Jesus 
afforded  them  a  prolonged  interview,  lasting  for  hours. 
The  scene,  the  hour,  the  duration  of  their  stay,  the  very- 
looks  on  the  face  of  Jesus,  had  all  remained  in  the 
apostle's  memory.  Most  days  in  anyone's  life  are  for- 
gotten :  they  sink  out  of  sight  and  are  indistinguishable 
from  multitudes  like  them.  But  some  days  are  ever 
memorable  :  we  can  recollect  the  very  hour  of  the  day 
when  each  thing  took  place,  the  very  tones  in  which 
words  were  uttered,  the  very  gestures  with  which  acts 
were  accompanied.  Which  days  are  thus  imprinted 
on  the  memory  ?  None  more  than  those  on  which  we 
have  made  acquaintances  and  formed  connections  by 
which  our  subsequent  life  has  been  powerfully  influ- 
enced. And  among  such  surely  the  first  acquaintance 
with  Christ  may  well  be  a  marked  date.  In  one  sense, 
indeed,  to  remember  this  is  impossible ;  for  our  acquaint- 
ance with  him  goes  back  beyond  our  earhest  memory. 
But  it  is  one  thing  to  hear  about  Christ  from  others, 
and  another  actually  to  come  in  contact  with  him  and 
speak  with  him  face  to  face.  With  many,  at  least,  this 
is  a  subsequent  experience,  occurring  within  the  period 
of  conscious  memory;  and,  if  such  an  incident  is  remem- 
bered at  all,  it  is  likely  to  be  a  vivid  and  a  treasured 
recollection. 

These  being  such  never-to-be-forgotten  hours  of 
St.  John's  experience,  we  naturally  expect  to  learn  from 
him  what  was  the  subject  of  conversation,  and  what 
Jesus   said.     In  this,   however,  we  are  entirely  disap- 


32  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

pointed,  not  a  word  of  detail  being  given.  This  is  the 
more  surprising  because  St.  John's  gospel  is  distin- 
guished for  the  frequency  with  which  it  narrates  pri- 
vate interviews  with  Jesus.  What  can  be  the  explana- 
tion ?  It  has  been  suggested  that  John  had  forgot- 
ten ;  but  this  is  in  a  high  degree  unlikely.  A  better 
explanation  may  be  gathered  from  the  other  incidents 
of  this  remarkable  day. 

It  would  appear  that  the  method  taken  by  our 
Lord  to  impress  himself  upon  those  who  were  intro- 
duced to  him  at  this  stage  was  to  make  them  feel  that 
he  had  a  superhuman  insight  into  their  thoughts  and 
their  character.  Thus  he  met  Simon  with  the  announce- 
ment that  he  was  in  future  to  bear  the  name  of  Peter. 
And  he  met  Nathanael  with  such  full  information  about 
himself  that  he  who  had  at  first  incredulously  asked, 
"  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?"  burst 
out  with,  "  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  thou  art 
the  King  of  Israel !"  Now  may  we  not  suppose  that 
to  St.  John  also  at  this  time  Jesus  gave  proof  of  his 
supernatural  knowledge  of  his  history  and  his  inmost 
thoughts,  communicating  perhaps  some  sweet  secret  as 
to  his  future  relation  to  himself  and  his  kingdom? 
Such  a  communication  a  deep,  reticent  nature  like  St. 
John's  might  feel  to  be  too  sacred  for  reporting. 
Scripture  seems  to  give  ample  encouragement  to  make 
religious  experiences  public  when  there  is  an  inner  im- 
pulse to  do  so ;  but  the  impulse  not  to  disclose  every- 
thing is  equally  sacred.  Some  experiences  would  be 
profaned  by  being  described ;  the  soul  has  things  of  its 
own  with  which  no  stranger  intermeddles.     Nothing  is 


HIS   FIRST   MEETING   WITH   CHRIST.  33 

more  valuable  to  our  fellowmen  than  the  communica- 
tion of  genuine  religious  experience  if  we  are  free  to 
tell  it ;  but  every  soul  of  any  depth  and  intensity  has 
many  secrets  v/hich  it  neither  could  nor  would  dis- 
close. And  of  this  nature  may  have  been  the  first 
confidence  vouchsafed  to  St.  John, 


The  Disciple,  etc 


34  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


VIII. 

Something  sealed  the  Hps  of  the  evangeUst  from 
telling  what  took  place  at  this  interview ;  but  if  we  had 
any  doubt  as  to  whether  or  not  the  communication  was 
one  of  supreme  importance,  or  whether  the  hearts  of 
the  two  hearers  burned  within  them  as  they  hstened 
to  Jesus  for  the  first  time,  we  should  be  convinced  by 
observing  how  they  acted  when  they  issued  from  the 
house.  Both  hastened  away  to  make  their  experience 
known  ;  evidently  because  they  were  full  of  what  had 
happened. 

It  is  only,  indeed,  in  a  peculiar  way  that  we  learn 
this  about  St.  John.  The  narrative  says  of  St.  Andrew, 
"  He  first  findeth  his  own  brother  Simon,"  and  tells  him. 
But  why  "  first "  ?  This  implies  that  the  other  young 
man  also  found  his  own  brother  and  did  the  same.  It 
is  an  extreme  instance  of  the  reticence  and  modesty 
with  which  in  his  Gospel  St.  John  refers  to  himself  and 
his  relatives.  He  never  mentions  his  brother  or  his 
mother  by  name.  In  the  present  passage  he  describes 
himself  only  as  "  another  disciple,"  though  there  is  no 
doubt  to  whom  he  refers.  In  estimating  the  character 
of  St.  John  this  reserve  should  be  noticed  as  a  promi- 
nent characteristic;  and  it  harmonizes  well  with  the 
other  qualities  of  his  exquisite  nature. 

Both,  then,  separating  at  the  door  of  Jesus'  lodg- 
ing, hastened  away  to  tell ;  and  each  went  to  his  own 
brother.     The  latter  circumstance  is  surely  a  touching 


HIS   FIRST   MEETING  WITH    CHRIST.  35 

and  instructive  trait.  The  instinct  to  bear  testimony 
to  religious  experience  is  a  natural  one ;  but  it  does  not 
always  lead  those  who  are  inspired  with  it  to  their  own 
homes.  Indeed,  the  very  last  persons  to  whom  some 
would  think  ol  speaking  on  religious  topics  are  their 
own  relatives.  It  is  easier  to  speak  in  public,  for  stran- 
gers do  not  know  how  far  our  conduct  may  be  in 
agreement  with  our  words.  To  our  relatives  this  is 
accurately  known ;  but  just  on  this  account  is  it  safe 
and  wholesome  to  begin  with  them  :  it  is  a  far  stronger 
pledge  to  consistency.  Besides,  it  is  the  dictate  of 
nature;  if  we  have  any  blessed  discovery  to  reveal, 
surely  those  first  deserve  the  benefit  of  it  who  are  our 
own  flesh  and  blood. 

Andrew  and  John  had  a  blessed  discovery  to  make 
known.  The  word  with  which  they  broke  in  upon 
their  astonished  brothers  was,  *' We  have  found."  The 
same  word  was  used  by  Philip  to  Nathanael;  and 
Archbishop  Trench  has  called  this  the  Eureka  chapter. 

What  had  they  found?  **  We  have  found  Him  of 
whom  Moses,  in  the  law,  and  the  prophets  did  write  " — 
they  had  found  the  fulfilment  of  the  law  and  of  the 
prophets  :  of  the  law,  whose  unfulfilled  commandments 
had  been  searching  their  awakened  consciences ;  of  the 
prophets,  whose  unfulfilled  predictions  had  inflamed 
their  patriotic  hopes.  So  they  expressed  the  discovery 
in  the  language  of  their  time  and  in  accordance  with 
their  own  experience.  But  it  can  be  expressed  in  many 
forms.  There  is  something  which  all  men  need  ;  and 
consciously  or  unconsciously  all  are  seeking  it.  Many 
know  they  have  not  found  it ;  many  more  are  unhappy 


2,6  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

they  know  not  why,  but  this  is  the  reason.  Some 
think  they  have  found  it,  but  the  discovery  turns  out 
to  be  a  deception.  Men  toil  and  moil  for  it ;  they 
hasten  over  seas ;  they  search  continent  after  conti- 
nent ;  they  tear  out  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  What  is 
it  ?  What  is  it  that  can  make  life  a  success,  that  can  fill 
the  heart,  that  can  afford  to  desire  at  once  both  satis- 
faction and  stimulation,  that  can  supply  life  with  an 
aim,  that  can  guarantee  unending  progress,  that  can 
fill  the  immeasurable  spaces  of  eternity  ?  Is  there  any 
object  which  can  do  all  this  for  man?  Andrew  and 
John  came  out  from  their  interview  with  Jesus  crying, 
**  We  have  found ;"  St.  John  wrote  this  down  at  the 
close  of  a  great  and  happy  life  in  token  that  he  still 
believed  it;  and  since  then  millions  upon  millions 
have  set  to  their  seal  that  it  is  true. 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME.  37 


ST.  JOHN  AT  HOME. 


IX. 

St.  John's  first  meeting  with  Jesus  took  place  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  where  he  was  in  attendance 
on  the  services  of  a  rehgious  revival  and  spending  days 
of  leisure  among  a  multitude  of  strangers ;  his  second 
decisive  meeting  with  him  took  place  at  home,  in  the 
midst  of  his  friends  and  when  he  was  engaged  in  his 
ordinary  work.  On  the  first  occasion  he  sought  Jesus  ; 
on  the  second  Jesus  came  to  seek  him.  This  is  in 
accordance  with  the  law  and  practice  of  Christ's  king- 
dom :  if,  on  sacred  days  and  in  sacred  places,  where  the 
multitude  convene  for  religious  purposes,  we  seek  Jesus 
and  find  him,  he  is  quite  certain  to  find  us  out,  subse- 
quently, in  our  week-day  life — in  the  home  and  at  busi- 
ness— and  demand  recognition  and  service  in  the  pres- 
ence of  our  ordinary  acquaintances. 

The  home  of  St.  John  was  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee — a 
charming  place  in  which  to  be  born  and  brought  up  ; 
for  it  was  the  loveliest  spot  of  a  lovely  country.  On 
account  of  the  great  depth  of  the  basin  of  the  lake,  680 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea  and  much  more  below  the 
tableland  of  Galilee,  it  enjoyed  a  tropical  cHmate  ;  the 
hills,  which  sloped  down  to  the  water's  edge,  were  cov- 
ered with  the  choicest  crops ;  and  at  their  feet  were 
bowers  of  olive  and  oleander,  or  meadows  gay  with  a 


38  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

thousand  flowers.  In  the  midst  of  this  wealth  of  foUage 
lay  the  heart-shaped  expanse  of  water  like  a  sapphire 
set  in  an  emerald,  except  when  storms,  sweeping  down 
from  the  gullies  of  the  neighboring  hills,  churned  it 
into  foam. 

The  frequency  of  wind  on  the  lake  modified  the 
heat  of  the  climate  and  rendered  an  active  life  more 
easy;  and,  therefore,  although  a  scene  of  tropical 
beauty,  the  district  was  the  very  reverse  of  a  scene  of 
idleness.  The  fish  in  the  lake  were  so  extraordinarily 
numerous  that  they  not  only  supplied  food  to  the  neigh- 
borhood, but  were  sent  in  large  quantities  to  satisfy  the 
hunger  of  the  multitudes  who  assembled  in  Jerusalem 
at  the  annual  feasts  and  were  even  known  in  distant 
seaports  of  the  Mediterranean.  As  more  than  one  of 
the  most  frequented  highways  of  the  ancient  world 
passed  through  the  basin  of  the  lake,  there  was  also  an 
extensive  transport  trade,  as  many  as  four  thousand 
boats  plying  for  this  purpose  on  its  limited  surface, 
which  measured  only  fifteen  miles  by  eight.  Subserv- 
ing these  chief  industries,  others,  like  boat-building  and 
cooperage,  occupied  a  vast  population.  Nine  towns, 
with  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants  apiece,  according  to  a 
contemporary  witness,  surrounded  the  shore,  which  at 
the  more  populous  points  must  have  presented  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  continuous  city. 

Here,  then,  amid  sights  and  sounds  of  beauty  to 
fascinate  the  heart  and  occupations  to  employ  the  mind, 
St.  John  had  grown  up ;  and  there  had  been  nothing  in 
his  youth  to  suggest  that  his  destiny  was  to  be  different 
from  that  of  the  other  sons  of  obscurity  and  toil  who, 


ST.   JOHN  AT   HOME.  39 

in  that  corner  of  the  world,  had  rejoiced,  sorrowed  and 
died  from  generation  to  generation.  But  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  predict  what  may  be  the  history  of  any  son  of 
Adam.  However  humble  may  be  the  spot  where  he  is 
born  in  time,  his  spirit  comes  out  of  the  infinite  azure 
of  eternity,  and  its  possibilities  are  incalculable.  Be- 
sides, St.  John  belonged  to  a  nation  no  child  of  which 
was  safe  from  thoughts  soaring  far  beyond  its  birthplace 
and  its  own  generation,  because  he  was  heir  to  a  splen- 
did past  and  a  still  more  splendid  future.  In  point  of 
fact,  the  lake  on  whose  margin  St.  John  was  born  was 
destined  to  be  lifted  up  out  of  its  obscurity  into  ever- 
lasting visibility  and  renown,  and  in  this  splendid  des- 
tiny he  was  to  participate.  But  it  was  the  coming  of 
Jesus  which  made  all  the  difterence. 


40  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


X. 

The  exact  spot  in  the  lake  region  where  St.  John 
was  born  is  not  known  with  certainty.  But  he  informs 
us  himself  that  "  Philip  was  of  Bethsaida,  the  city  oi 
Andrew  and  Peter ;"  and,  as  we  learn  from  the  other 
evangelists  that  he  and  his  brother  James  were  partners 
in  business  with  Andrew  and  Peter,  the  probability  is 
that  they  belonged  to  the  same  place.  Bethsaida  has 
been  long  ago  blotted  out  of  existence,  and  there  is 
some  difficulty  in  identifying  its  site;  many,  indeed, 
have  believed  that  there  existed  two  towns  of  this  name, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  Jordan  where  it  enters  the  lake, 
but  this  is  improbable.  There  is  no  doubt,  however, 
that  Bethsaida  stood  in  the  opener,  busier  and  more 
beautiful  part  of  the  region. 

If  it  be  the  case  that  John  and  James,  as  well  as 
Phihp,  Andrew  and  Peter,  belonged  to  Bethsaida,  the 
fact  emerges,  that  from  this  one  sm.all  town  Jesus  ob- 
tained five  out  of  his  twelve  apostles — a  circumstance 
only  paralleled  in  its  singularity  by  the  opposite  fact, 
that  of  the  twelve  not  one  belonged  to  Jerusalem.  All 
five  had  also  apparently  been  disciples  of  the  Baptist 
before  becoming  disciples  of  Jesus.  What  can  have 
been  the  explanation  of  a  combination  so  remarkable  ? 
Was  there  a  rabbi  in  the  synagogue  of  Bethsaida  who 
had  trained  the  youth  of  the  place  in  piety  and  aspira- 
tion ?  All  the  teachers  even  of  that  soulless  age  were 
not  bad  men.     Or  was  it  to  the  prayers  of  their  parents 


ST.    JOHN  AT   HOME.  4I 

that  this  galaxy  of  youthful  earnestness  was  due? 
From  the  fact  that  Zebedee  offered  no  opposition  to 
his  sons  when  they  left  their  business  to  follow  Jesus 
we  may  infer  that  his  sympathies  were  on  the  right 
side.  His  wife,  Salome,  appears  later  as  an  enthusias- 
tic supporter  of  the  good  cause.  In  Bethsaida  there 
may  have  been  a  circle  of  godly  souls  whose  united 
prayers  were  answered  when  their  sons  simultaneously 
joined  the  religious  movements  of  the  Baptist  and  Jesus. 
Or  was  it  one  of  the  young  men  them.selves  by  whose 
magnetism  the  rest  were  drawn  into  the  paths  of  peace  ? 
If  so,  was  this  leader  John,  or  Peter,  or  one  of  those 
less  known?  One  likes  to  speculate  on  the  possible 
causes  of  such  a  phenomenon,  even  though  we  cannot 
hope  for  a  decided  answer.  Five  young  men  of  the 
same  town  could  not,  all  together,  have  taken  such 
a  course  without  some  powerful  influence  being  at  work 
in  secret.  Every  visible  pillar  in  the  temple  of  God 
rests  upon  an  invisible  one  sunk  beneath  the  surface  of 
history.  Honor  to  the  unknown  workers,  who  have  no 
name  or  fame  on  earth  but  without  whose  labor  and 
patience  the  edifice  could  not  have  been  erected ! 

Besides  John,  his  father,  his  brother  and  his  part- 
ners, we  see  in  the  boats  on  this  occasion  "  hired  ser- 
vants "  ;  and  this  circumstance  has  been  combined  with 
other  slight  indications  in  the  Gospels  to  support  the 
inference  that  St.  John  belonged  to  a  condition  in  hfe 
considerably  removed  from  poverty,  with  the  possibility 
of  connections  even  with  the  more  select  classes  of  soci- 
ety. However  this  may  be,  he  certainly  was  a  young 
man  well  known  in  the  neighborhood  to  which  he  be- 


42  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

longed ;  and  the  names  and  figures  mentioned  in  the 
narrative  easily  enable  us  to  summon  up  before  the 
mind's  eye  a  larger  circle  of  relatives  and  acquaintan- 
ces, by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  when  the  crisis  of 
his  life  arrived  and  he  had  to  make  the  decisive  choice. 
Their  eyes  were  upon  him  ;  their  tongues,  he  could  not 
but  be  aware,  would  criticise  his  action.  But  Christ, 
who  had  obtained  his  worship  before  at  a  distance  and 
among  strangers,  had  now  come  to  summon  him  to 
take  up  the  cross  of  confession  and  follow  him  in  the 
place  of  his  abode  and  in  the  presence  of  his  neighbors. 


ST.   JOHN  AT   HOME.  43 


XI. 


John  was  at  work  when  Jesus  approached  him. 
In  the  neighboring  fields  the  great  Teacher  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  vast  multitude,  to  whom  he  had  been 
preaching.  Perhaps  the  sound  of  his  voice  had  pene- 
trated to  the  boat  where  John  was.  But  the  fisherman 
could  not  join  the  congregation,  because  he  was  occu- 
pied with  unavoidable  duty.  Indeed,  he  had  been  at 
work  all  night,  as  fishermen  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
often  were;  and  he  could  not  leave  in  disorder  the 
nets  which  they  had  been  using.  So  there  he  was 
at  work,  mending  the  nets,  with  marks  of  his  pro- 
longed toil  visible  on  his  person  and  his  clothes,  when 
Jesus  came. 

Jesus  did  not  tell  him  that  he  ought  to  have  been 
in  the  congregation,  listening  to  the  Word  instead  of 
fishing.  On  the  contrary,  he  sent  him  back  again  to 
fish.  He  even  entered  into  partnership  with  him,  tell- 
ing him  the  exact  spot  of  the  lake  to  which  to  go  and 
the  side  of  the  ship  from  which  to  cast  out  the  net. 
Thus  St.  John  learned  that  Christ  knew  more  about  the 
sea  than  he,  though  he  had  lived  on  it  all  his  days,  and 
he  found  out  how  successful  work  is  when  in  the  doing 
of  it  the  advice  of  Jesus  is  followed.  We  think  that  it 
is  only  with  our  spiritual  affairs  that  Jesus  is  concerned, 
but  he  knows  about  our  occupation,  whatever  it  may 
be,  better  than  we  do  ourselves.  Many  are  afraid  that, 
it  they  listened  to  the  voice  of  Jesus  when  they  are  at 


44  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

their  work,  they  could  not  get  on ;  but  the  experience 
of  St.  John  proves  the  very  opposite. 

Perhaps  this  experience  was  intended  to  convince 
St.  John  and  his  associates  that  in  all  their  successes 
on  the  water  in  the  past  a  higher  Hand  had  been  at 
work  than  they  had  always  realized.  "  Every  good 
and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,"  whether  it  come 
by  the  direct  path  of  miracle  or  in  more  circuitous 
ways.  But  the  great  lesson  of  the  occasion  bore  upon 
the  future.  Jesus  was  about  to  call  away  St.  John  and 
his  partner  from  their  boats  and  nets;  they  were 
practical  men,  accustomed  to  earn  their  bread  and 
look  sharply  after  their  hardly- earned  gains ;  they  could 
not  but  ask  on  what  they  were  to  depend,  and  what 
provision  was  to  be  made  for  those  whom  they  left  be- 
hind. The  miracle  of  the  draught  of  fishes  was  the  an- 
swer to  these  unexpressed  inquiries.  Could  they  doubt 
the  ability  to  provide  of  One  who  so  evidently  had  the 
resources  of  nature  at  his  command  ? 

Yet  even  this  was  not  the  profoundest  effect  which 
Jesus  produced  on  their  spirits.  St.  Peter,  grovelling  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  and  crying, 
"  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord,"  gave 
expession  to  the  sentiment  which  was  in  all  their  hearts, 
and  especially,  we  may  be  sure,  in  the  sensitive  heart 
of  St.  John.  In  modern  arguments  about  miracles  these 
occurrences  are  generally  spoken  of  as  if  they  had 
been  irresistible  demonstrations  addressed  to  the  in- 
tellect. This,  however,  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
the  way  in  which  they  acted.  Their  effect  was  moral ; 
they  told  upon  the  emotional  nature.     A  miracle  hap- 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME.  45 

pening  beside  anyone  conveyed  an  overwhelming  im- 
pression that  God  was  near ;  and  the  spectator  shrank 
into  himself  as  a  weak  and  guilty  being.  Must  not  the 
most  convincing  proof  in  the  religious  sphere  always 
be  of  this  nature  ?  As  the  sun  requires  no  demonstra- 
tion when  we  are  standing  in  the  light  and  warmth 
of  his  beams,  so  the  best  proof  of  God  is  his  presence 
and  his  working.  Life  does  not  lack  experience  of 
which  every  unsophisticated  mind  spontaneously  says : 
"  This  also  cometh  forth  from  the  Lord  of  hosts,  who 
is  wonderful  in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working."  Nor 
are  these  experiences  far  to  seek.  As  the  boat  of  St. 
John  was  transformed  into  a  theatre  for  the  manifestation 
of  Christ's  power,  so  is  the  pathway  of  the  humblest 
strewn  with  experiences  which  announce  the  living  God ; 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  strives  with  every  human  soul. 


46        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 


XII. 

When  Christ  had  subdued  the  minds  of  St.  John 
and  his  companions  with  an  overpowering  sense  of  his 
authority,  he  uttered  the  call  for  which  he  had  been 
preparing  them.  But  he  couched  it  in  the  simplest 
terms,  still  keeping  to  the  level  of  their  actual  life  :  "  I 
will  make  you,"  he  said,  "  fishers  of  men." 

He  was  calling  them  away  from  the  employment  , 
by  which  they  had  hitherto  earned  their  bread ;  but 
they  were  still  to  continue  to  be  fishers.  Between  their 
past  and  their  future  Hfe  there  was  to  be  no  violent 
break.  The  skill  and  experience  which  they  had  ac- 
quired by  faithfulness  in  the  lower  sphere  were  still  to 
be  available  in  the  new  sphere  to  which  he  was  calling 
them  up.  "  All  things  are  double  one  against  another," 
says  the  sage  of  the  apocryphal  book  of  Ecclesiasticus  ; 
the  spiritual  and  the  temporal  worlds  correspond  each 
to  each  ;  and  a  human  being  cannot  exercise  any  honest 
calling  conscientiously  without  learning  from  it  lessons 
about  things  on  a  loftier  plane  and  being  prepared  for 
a  higher  service. 

When  they  afterwards  reflected,  as  they  must  have 
done  a  thousand  times,  on  what  it  signified  to  be  ^ 
fishers  of  men,  no  better  commentary  could  possibly 
have  been  found  than  Christ's  own  method  on  this  oc- 
casion in  dealing  with  themselves.  He  was  the  supreme 
Fisher,  and  this  day  he  was  fishing  for  them.  He  ap- 
proached them  cautiously :  they  saw  the  crowd  in  their 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME.  47 

vicinity,  and  this  aroused  their  curiosity  before  he 
came  near.  Then  he  asked  the  loan  of  their  boat,  to 
serve  for  a  pulpit ;  and  thus,  to  a  certain  extent,  they 
were  made  partners  in  his  work  and  interested  in  its 
success.  Then  he  showed  his  interest  in  their  work 
and  astonished  them  by  his  knowledge  of  where  the 
fishes  were  to  be  found.  Step  by  step  he  led  them 
on,  till  at  last  the  glory  of  his  superiority  flashed  upon 
them  and  they  were  at  his  feet,  ready  to  do  whatever 
he  might  say.  This  is  the  way  to  fish  for  men — gra- 
dually, cautiously,  delicately.  Weighty  above  all  is 
the  law  enunciated  by  St.  Paul,  and  supremely  illus- 
trated on  this  as  on  every  occasion  by  Christ — first 
that  which  is  natural,  afterwards  that  which  is  spiritual. 
The  fisher  for  men  must  find  people  where  they  are ; 
he  must  understand  human  nature  and  human  life  ; 
the  more  he  knows  about  common  occupations  the 
better:  he  must  be  able  to  sympathize  with  men's  re- 
verses and  successes,  with  the  subtle  movements  of  wo- 
manly feeling,  and  even  with  the  dreams  of  childhood  ; 
he  must  believe  that  God  is  leading  human  beings  to 
himself  along  the  pathway  of  their  daily  experience, 
and  that  it  is  only  as  he  co-operates  with  this  intention 
ol  Providence  that  he  can  do  them  good. 

Minor  lessons  about  the  art  to  which  they  were 
being  called  were  also  to  be  learned  by  looking  back. 
They  had  toiled  all  night  and  caught  nothing;  so  it 
is  sometimes  the  lot  of  the  fisher  of  men  to  labor  in 
vain  and  expend  his  strength  for  naught.  Again, 
both  the  hour  and  the  place  in  which  the  Lord  told 
them  to  fish  appeared  unpropitious ;  because  the  best 


48  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

time  for  fishing  was  by  night,  whereas  he  sent  them 
to  it  in  daylight ;  and  fish  are  generally  most  plentiful 
inshore,  while  he  sent  them  forth  into  the  deep.  So 
in  spiritual  fishing,  the  most  unlikely  spots  and  the 
most  unpromising  seasons  sometimes  yield  the  best 
results.  And,  at  all  events,  whenever  we  have  the 
Lord's  command  to  launch  them  forth,  there  ought  to 
be  no  hesitation  to  go  and,  at  his  word,  let  down  the 
nets  for  a  draught.  St.  John  and  St.  Peter  must  often 
have  wondered  when  in  the  spiritual  waters  they 
would  see  anything  corresponding  to  the  take  of  that 
morning,  when  the  sea  seemed  alive  with  fishes  and 
their  nets  could  not  contain  them  all.  But  this  hope 
was  gloriously  fulfilled  when,  at  Pentecost  and  in  the 
times  of  refreshing  which  followed,  they  saw  men  by 
the  thousand  being  brought,  through  the  preaching  of 
the  cross  and  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  into  the  net"^ 
of  the  Kingdom. 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME.  49 


XIII. 

Jesus  had  given  the  call ;  it  was  impressive  and 
it  had  gone  home ;  but  it  remained  to  be  seen  whether 
those  to  whom  it  had  been  addressed  would  respond. 

To  obey  involved  a  serious  practical  step.  Jesus 
had  said,  "  Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of 
men."  They  were  not  to  be  fishers  of  men  at  once : 
they  were  to  be  made  so  by  degrees,  and  the  art  was 
to  be  acquired  by  following  him.  This  is  the  rule 
always ;  this  is  the  only  way  to  learn ;  none  can  be 
fishers  of  men  who  have  not  first  followed  Jesus. 

But  for  them  this  implied  the  forsaking  of  their 
homes  and  the  business  they  had  learned,  that  they 
might  Hterally  accompany  him  whithersoever  he 
went.  This  could  not  be  an  easy  thing.  St.  Peter 
was  already  married,  and  though  St.  John  probably 
was  not  thus  bound  he  was  a  partner  in  a  business 
in  which  his  father,  growing  old,  required  his  strength 
and  skill.  Life  is  a  complicated  thing,  and  it  is  never 
easy  to  wrench  one's  self  out  of  the  position  in  which 
one  has  been  fixed  by  time  and  custom.  Doubtless 
there  were  neighbors  who  would  consider  it  an  unwise 
thing  to  let  go  a  business  which  might  be  prosperous 
in  order  to  go  after  a  wandering  rabbi,  whose  aims  and 
pretensions  were  problematical.  But  on  the  spot  they 
left  all — boats,  nets,  relatives— even  the  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes,  apparently,  they  did  not  stay  to 
secure ;  they  left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed  him. 
4 


50  THE   DISCIPLE    WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

For  the  most  of  us,  to  follow  Jesus  does  not  involve 
the  quitting  of  home  or  the  throwing  up  of  business : 
we  are  called  to  follow  him  at  home  and  in  business. 
Yet  it  does  in  every  case  involve  self-denial  and  sacri- 
fice. He  calls  us  away  from  excessive  and  exclusive 
devotion  to  any  earthly  thing,  whether  it  be  pleasure 
or  home  or  business.  Many  are  starving  their  spiritual 
life,  and  declining  every  invitation  to  usefulness,  be- 
cause they  cannot  drag  themselves  away  from  the 
making  of  money  or  the  engagements  of  society. 
Even  the  hours  of  the  day  of  rest  are  denied  to  God — 
of  course  they  have  no  time  for  worship  during  the 
week — and  the  needs  of  a  perishing  world  appeal  to 
them  in  vain.  Does  it  not  shame  us  to  read,  "  They 
left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed  him "?  What  have 
we  left?  What  are  we  sacrificing?  "They  were 
stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  were  slain  with  the 
sword,  being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented."  Such 
things  have  men  been  able  to  do  and  to  bear  for  the 
sake  of  religion :  they  have  gladly  laid  down  their 
lives  for  Christ.  How  much  are  we  able  to  do  and 
to  suffer  for  the  same  sacred  cause  ? 


ST.   JOHN   THE  APOSTLE.  5 1 


ST.  JOHN  THE  APOSTLE. 


XIV. 

There  were  three  stages  in  St  John's  connection 
with  Christ.  The  first  was  when  he  was  introduced  to 
Him  by  the  Baptist  and,  in  a  private  interview  on  the 
bank  of  the  Jordan,  became  convinced  that  He  was  the 
Messiah.  This  may  be  called  the  stage  of  the  Believer. 
Thereafter  John  returned  to  his  ordinary  calling  as  a 
fisherman,  till,  on  the  strand  of  the  Sea  of  GaHlee,  he 
was  sought  out  by  Jesus  and  summoned  to  become  his 
constant  follower  ;  and  he  left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed 
him.  This  may  be  called  the  stage  of  the  Disciple. 
How  long  this  stage  lasted  we  cannot  tell  with  preci- 
sion, but  there  was  still  an  attainment  to  be  reached. 
Jesus  was  in  the  height  of  his  popularity,  and  great 
numbers  of  disciples  were  attaching  themselves  to  him, 
and  following  him  wherever  he  went.  When  from 
among  these  he  selected  twelve,  that  their  connection 
with  him  might  be  more  special,  the  third  stage  of  St. 
John's  progress  was  reached — the  stage  of  the  Apostle. 

With  these  stages  of  St.  John's  experience  may 
be  compared  the  history  of  anyone  who  is  called  to 
the  public  ministry  of  the  gospel.  First,  his  experience 
is  an  entirely  private  one — a  meeting  with  Jesus  for 
his  own  salvation — and  at  this  stage  he  may  have  no 


52  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

thought  of  devoting  his  life  exclusively  to  the  service  of 
the  gospel ;  he  is  merely  a  believer.  By-and-by,  how- 
ever, the  impulse  to  be  a  preacher  overpowers  him, 
and  he  may  have  to  give  up  some  other  calling  in  order 
to  devote  himself  to  the  work  of  preparation.  This  may 
last  for  years,  during  which  he  is  a  learner  or  disciple. 
At  last,  when  his  course  of  preparation  is  completed, 
he  is  solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  a 
definite  sphere,  where  he  speaks  and  acts  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  and  his  service  should  be  apostolic. 

In  the  experience  of  private  Christians  the  analogy 
may  not  be  so  perfect.  Yet  the  broad  principle  ap- 
plies to  all,  that,  if  we  are  connected  with  Christ,  our 
connection  with  him  should  constantly  be  growing 
closer,  and  the  line  of  progress  is  indicated  by  these 
three  words — Believer,  Disciple,  Apostle,  or  their  equi- 
valents— Faith,  Knowledge,  Service. 

How  important  this  third  stage  was  in  the  prog- 
ress of  St.  John  and  the  rest  who  were  elevated  to  the 
honor  of  apostleship  is  shown  by  the  way  in  which 
Jesus  prepared  them,  and  still  more  by  the  way  in  which 
he  prepared  himself  for  the  occasion. 

One  of  the  Evangelists  introduces  his  account  of 
the  election  of  the  Twelve  with  these  words  :  "  It  came 
to  pass  in  those  days  that  he  went  out  into  a  mountain 
to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God ;  and, 
when  it  was  day,  he  called  unto  him  his  disciples,  and 
of  them  he  chose  twelve,  whom  he  also  named  apos- 
tles." Thus  we  learn  that  he  prepared  himself  for  this 
act  by  a  night  of  prayer.     His  habit  of  retiring  to  sol- 


ST.   JOHN  THE  APOSTLE.  53 

itude  for  prayer  is  well  known ;  he  would  go  away  for 
an  hour  or  two  after  the  labor  of  the  day  was  over,  or 
rise  up  for  this  purpose  a  great  while  before  day ;  but 
this  is  perhaps  the  only  occasion  when  we  read  that  he 
spent  a  whole  night  in  prayer.  It  shows  his  sense  of 
the  gravity  of  the  step  which  he  was  about  to  take  ; 
and  what  a  lesson  it  is  to  us  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  we  should  approach  important  decisions  in  our 
own  lives ! 

Another  of  the  Evangelists  introduces  the  scene 
differently.  He  tells  how  in  those  days  the  crowds 
attending  upon  the  ministry  of  Christ  as  preacher  and 
healer  had  multiplied  till  "  they  fainted,  and  were  scat- 
tered abroad,  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd."  Evi- 
dently the  numbers  had  outgrown  the  physical  capabil- 
ity of  one  to  reach  them  all.  Jesus  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  his  disciples  to  the  situation  and  said  to  them, 
"  The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are 
few ;  pray  ye,  therefore,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that 
he  will  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest."  There  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  that  at  least  the  more  earnest  of 
Christ's  followers  obeyed  this  injunction.  They  took 
the  situation  into  their  minds  till,  like  their  Master, 
they  were  filled  with  compassion  for  the  needs  of  the 
multitude ;  then  they  earnestly  prayed  to  God  to  fur- 
nish laborers  for  his  own  work.  Perhaps  during  some 
at  least  of  the  hours  of  the  night,  while  Jesus  was  pray- 
ing on  this  subject  on  the  mountain-top,  St.  John  was 
awake  praying  about  it  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 

In  the  morning  the  answer  came ;  but  in  what  form  ? 


54  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

St.  John  was  told  to  answer  his  own  prayer ;  for  he 
was  called  to  be  one  of  the  laborers  whom  he  had  asked 
God  to  send.  It  was  as  if,  in  a  period  of  destitution,  a 
rich  man,  overcome  with  compassion  for  his  poor  and 
suffering  fellow-creatures,  should  pray  to  God  to  suc- 
cor them,  and  it  should  thereupon  be  flashed  into  his 
mind  that  he  could  himself  relieve  them  by  giving  away 
a  portion  of  his  wealth.  Thus  are  prayer  and  effort 
joined.  If  people  have  compassion  on  the  multitude 
because  they  are  scattered  abroad,  in  our  slums  at  home 
or  in  heathen  lands,  like  sheep  v,^ithout  a  shepherd, 
and  if  they  are  earnestly  praying  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  to  send  forth  laborers,  there  will  be  no  lack  of 
either  men  or  means  for  the  Lord's  service. 


ST.   JOHN   THE    APOSTLE.  55 


XV. 


The  dignity  of  this  new  position  to  v/hich  St.  John 
was  raised  is  clearly  defined  by  St.  Mark :  "  He  or- 
dained twelve,  that  they  should  be  with  him,  and  that 
he  might  send  them  forth  to  preach,  and  to  have  power 
to  heal  sicknesses  and  to  cast  out  devils." 

Here  are  three  things  which  the  apostles  were  to 
do :  first,  to  be  with  him ;  secondly,  to  preach ;  and 
thirdly,  to  heal  sicknesses  and  cast  out  devils. 

The  first,  "  that  they  should  be  v/ith  him,"  is  the 
privilege  for  which  all  generations  since  have  envied 
the  Twelve.  They  went  about  with  him  continually  ; 
they  saw  all  his  miracles;  they  heard  all  his  dis- 
courses :  they  daily  listened  to  his  table-talk,  and  could 
consult  him  about  anything  in  his  public  utterances 
which  they  had  not  understood,  or  about  which  they 
wished  to  make  further  inquiry ;  they  saw  his  life  at 
close  quarters,  and  felt  the  influence  of  his  character. 
The  followers  of  a  Socrates,  the  catechumens  of  an 
Ambrose,  the  students  of  a  Tholuck,  the  pupils  of  an 
Arnold,  have  informed  the  world  of  the  magnetism  with 
which  their  teachers  held  them  ;  but  no  man  ever  spake 
and  no  teacher  ever  charmed  like  this  One. 

This  privilege  was  not,  indeed,  new  to  St.  John 
when  he  became  an  apostle ;  he  had  enjoyed  it  on  the 
lower  stage  of  discipleship.     But  it  is  emphasized  at 


56  THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

this  Stage  to  remind  us  that,  in  advancing  to  be  an 
apostle,  he  did  not  leave  behind  the  experiences  pecu- 
liar to  the  two  previous  stages.  He  was  first  believer, 
then  disciple,  then  apostle;  but  when  he  became  an 
apostle  he  required  to  be  far  more  than  ever  both 
believer  and  disciple.  To  be  a  public  representative 
of  Christianity  is  a  mockery  and  hypocrisy  unless  it  is 
accompanied  with  growing  faith  in  Jesus  and  fellowship 
with  him.  Those  who  teach  must  not  only  have  learned, 
but  they  must  go  on  learning.  The  power  of  public 
testimony  depends  on  intimacy  with  Jesus  in  secret. 

Then,  secondly,  St.  John  and  his  fellow-apostles 
were  to  preach.  This  was  rendered  necessary  by  the 
extent  of  the  interest  in  Jesus  :  his  voice  could  not  reach 
all  who  thronged  around  him,  nor  could  he  visit  all  the 
places  which  desired  his  presence ;  he  had,  therefore,  to 
multiply  himself  by  sending  forth  those  who  could  speak 
in  his  stead ;  and  the  name  he  gave  them  showed  that 
this  was  the  chief  object  for  which  they  were  ordained; 
for  the  word  *'  apostles  "  means  "  ambassadors."  In 
one  respect  it  might  have  been  thought  that  they  were 
unfit  for  this  part  of  their  vocation,  because  they  were 
"  unlearned  and  ignorant  men ;"  they  had  not  attended 
the  colleges  where  the  arts  of  the  speaker  are  taught. 
For  the  present,  however,  their  teaching  was  to  be  very 
simple.  They  were  not  to  be  setded  for  a  length  of 
time  anywhere,  but  to  itinerate  swifdy  from  place  to 
place.  What  they  required,  therefore,  was  not  a  system 
of  doctrine,  but  a  brief,  fervent  message ;  and  this  they 
had  acquired  from  their  contact  with  Jesus  :  their  souls 


ST.   JOHN  THE  APOSTLE.  57 

were  on  fire  with  a  joyful  discovery,  and  it  was  a 
pleasure  to  make  it  known. 

At  a  later  stage  much  more  difficult  work  lay  be- 
fore the  apostles,  requiring  resources  of  many  kinds ; 
but  Jesus  could  trust  to  the  educative  power  of  their 
intercourse  with  himself  Nor  was  his  confidence  mis- 
placed ;  for,  when  the  time  came,  they  were  fit  to  be  the 
teachers  of  the  world. 

Whether  or  not  Jesus  would  have  chosen  learned 
men,  if  they  had  been  available,  we  cannot  say ;  the 
case  of  St.  Paul,  who  had  sat  at  the  feet  of  GamaHel, 
seems  to  suggest  that  he  would.  But  such  men  were 
not  forthcoming  :  men  Hke  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  hesitated ;  and  the  scribes  opposed  and 
despised  him.  So  he  had  to  make  use  of  such  instru- 
ments as  were  procurable.  But  he  was  satisfied  with 
them.  These  honest  and  good  hearts,  these  unwarped 
and  unbiassed  minds,  transmitted  the  message  without 
coloring  it  with  additions  of  their  own  ;  and  it  is  easier 
for  the  world  in  their  case  to  see  that  the  excellency 
of  the  power  was  not  theirs  but  his. 

The  third  design  of  the  apostolate  was  that  its 
members  should  heal  sicknesses  and  cast  out  devils. 
In  some  respects  this  was  the  most  peculiar  work  of  the 
apostles,  though  it  was  subordinate  to  their  preaching  ; 
and  it  revealed  in  the  most  remarkable  way  the  glory 
of  their  Master.  In  the  gospels,  Christ's  powers  of 
healing  are  attributed  to  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in 
him;  but  the  Spirit  dwelt  in  him  so  abundantly  that 
the  influence  overflowed  upon  those  who  were  in  sym- 


58  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

pathetic  contact  with  him ;  and,  thus  qualified,  they 
were  able,  too,  to  cure  both  the  body  and  the  mind. 

A  great  modern  teacher,  the  devoted  but  romantic 
Edward  Irving,  cherished  and  propagated  the  notion 
that  these  powers  would  still  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Church  if  her  members  lived  close  enough  to  Christ. 
It  was  a  mistake,  though  perhaps  better  than  the  or- 
thodoxy of  little  minds.  Experience  has  not  justified 
his  belief;  and  the  reason,  no  doubt,  is  that  such  mirac- 
ulous powers  are  no  longer  necessary.  The  spirit, 
however,  of  this  direction  of  Jesus  to  his  apostles  is  ap- 
plicable to  all  times,  and  it  is  that  the  healing  of  the 
body  is  to  accompany  the  saving  of  the  soul.  Not  only 
may  benefits  conferred  in  the  name  of  Christ  in  the 
sphere  of  the  natural  life  open  the  door  for  spiritual 
work,  but  the  interest  in  humanity  taught  by  Christ 
extends  to  man's  whole  being  and  cannot  help  seeking 
to  bless  him  at  every  point.  When  we  send  out  medi- 
cal along  with  preaching  missionaries,  when  nurses  are 
trained  to  be  servants  of  the  Church,  v/hen  hospitals  are 
opened  by  Christian  liberality,  when  alms  are  given  to 
the  poor,  when  in  connection  with  churches  and  mis- 
sions wholesome  recreation  is  provided  for  mind  and 
body,  we  are  following  this  indication  of  the  mind  of 
Christ ;  and  in  our  day  the  Church  is  awaking  to  a  more 
large-hearted  conception  of  her  duty  in  this  respect. 

In  choosing  the  Twelve  Jesus  was  determining  not 
only  their  Hfe  but  also  his  own.  If  they  were  to  be 
with  him,  he  was  to  be  with  them.  He  was  not  to 
have   his  time  to  himself,   or  even  for  the  public;  at 


ST.   JOHN   THE  APOSTLE.  59 

least  a  larg-e  share  of  it  was  covenanted  to  the  apostles. 
Nothing  in  his  entire  history  is  more  wonderful  than 
the  way  in  which,  while  overwhelmed  with  external 
work,  he  reserved  himself  for  the  instruction  of  the 
Twelve.  The  results  have  abundantly  justified  his 
wisdom ;  and  they  supply  an  example,  though  one 
which  has  been  rarely  followed.  Few  even  of  the  most 
earnest  workers  for  the  many  have  at  the  same  time  been 
able  to  think  of  the  few.  It  requires  rare  gifts  ;  yet  a 
few  followers  highly  trained,  and  acquainted  with  the 
deep  things  of  God,  may  be  a  far  more  valuable  leg- 
acy to  the  Church  and  the  world  than  multitudes  con- 
verted to  a  superficial  or  ordinary  Christianity. 


<" 


^0        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED. 


XVI. 

The  supreme  privilege  ot  the  apostleship  was  to 
be  with  Jesus ;  but  this  involved  another :  it  was  also 
a  privilege  for  each  apostle  to  be  associated  with  the 
other  members  of  the  apostolic  circle. 

Anyone  who  has  been  at  college  and  entered  thor- 
oughly into  the  spirit  of  it  must  always  look  back  to 
his  student  days  as  a  golden  period  of  his  life ;  and  the 
chief  reason  is  that  there  he  has  associated  with  picked 
men.  By  a  process  of  natural  selection  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  most  gifted  and  aspiring  youth  of  the 
country  gather  in  college;  it  is  easy  among  them  to 
find  friends ;  and  never  again,  perhaps,  in  life  may  a 
man  be  close  to  so  many  choice  spirits.  Much  more 
true  is  it  that  the  college  of  the  apostles  consisted  of 
picked  men.  They  had  been  selected  by  the  insight 
of  Christ  himself,  after  a  night  of  prayer  and,  no  doubt, 
days  of  reflection.  They  were  chosen  from  among  his 
numerous  followers  as  the  most  devoted  to  his  person 
and  the  most  suitable  for  his  work.  Their  hearts  were 
aglow  with  the  joy  of  spiritual  discovery  and  the  en- 
thusiasm of  a  noble  cause.  Could  there  be  more  fa- 
vorable conditions  for  the  formation  and  the  ripening 
of  friendship  ? 

United,  however,  as  the  members  of  the  apostolic 
circle  were  in  their  fundamental  experiences  and  aspi- 
rations, they  were  nevertheless  widely  diverse  in  other 


ST.   JOHN   THE   APOSTLE.  6l 

respects.  It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  two  charac- 
ters by  nature  more  unlike  than  St.  Peter  and  St.  John  ; 
St.  Matthew,  before  his  call,  had  been  a  publican — that 
is,  a  tax-gatherer  for  the  Roman  rulers — while  one  of 
the  Simons  had  been  a  Zealot — that  is,  a  radical  oppo- 
nent of  the  government,  and  especially  the  taxation,  of 
the  Romans ;  in  the  company  of  Jesus  St.  James  the 
martyr  and  St.  Thomas  the  doubter  met  together  ;  and 
the  less-known  apostles  in  all  probability  represented 
similar  diversities.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  design 
of  Jesus  to  unite  in  his  service  the  most  diverse  talents 
and  dispositions,  and  in  this  there  was  a  special  bless- 
ing for  each  of  the  Twelve ;  because  those  acquain- 
tanceships and  friendships  are  the  best  which,  along 
with  unity  in  essentials,  combine  the  utmost  variety  in 
details. 

One  great  intention  of  Christianity  is  to  be  a  cen- 
tre of  union.  Multitudes  would  be  utterly  lonely  in 
the  world  were  it  not  for  their  connection  with  the 
church ;  and  many  more,  though  enjoying  other  op- 
portunities of  union  with  their  fellow-creatures,  have 
found  in  the  church  their  best  friends  and  formed  their 
most  cherished  ties.  Christian  work  especially  affords 
such  opportunities :  and  nowhere  else  are  the  acquain- 
tanceships formed  hkely  to  be  so  valuable,  for  attrac- 
tion to  the  work  of  Christ  is  a  selective  process  which 
winnows  out  the  best. 


62  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


XVII. 

On  this  occasion  St.  John  received  from  the  Lord 
a  special  mark  of  recognition  :  he  and  his  brother  were 
called  by  a  new  name — Boanerges,  the  sons  of  thun- 
der. 

This  is  mentioned  only  by  St.  Mark  and  only  in 
this  place,  and  unfortunately  the  name  is  to  us  an 
enigma. 

Some  have  explained  it  as  an  allusion  to  the  origin 
of  their  spiritual  life.  They  were  disciples  of  the  Bap- 
tist before  becoming  disciples  of  Christ ;  the  Baptist's 
teaching  was  the  seed  from  which  their  new  destiny  de- 
veloped. Now  his  preaching  might,  for  obvious  rea- 
sons, be  compared  to  thunder :  it  consisted  chiefly  of 
denunciations  of  sin  and  calls  to  repentance.  It  has 
further  been  suggested  that  St.  John  and  St.  James  may 
have  been  in  the  company  of  the  Baptist  on  the  occa- 
sion when  he  received  the  sign  by  which  he  was  assured 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ ;  and  one  element  of  this  was 
a  voice  from  heaven,  uttered,  no  doubt,  in  thunder.  As 
this  could  not  but  affect  the  minds  of  the  brothers  they 
might  be  said  to  be  born  of  the  thunder. 

The  more  common  notion,  however,  has  been  that 
the  name  referred  to  some  personal  peculiarity.  In 
cbmmon  parlance  the  name  Boanerges  is  applied  to 
a  speaker  with  a  very  loud  voice ;  and  this  has  actual- 
ly  been    supposed  to  have   been  the  reason  why  the 


ST.   JOHN   THE    APOSTLE.  63 

name  was  given  originally.  A  conspicuously  loud 
voice  is,  however,  about  the  last  attribute  which  should 
be  associated  with  St.  John,  and  we  cannot  suppose 
Jesus  to  have  laid  any  emphasis  on  such  a  trifling  cir- 
cumstance. 

There  has  been  much  stronger  support  given  to 
the  notion  that  a  mental  peculiarity  of  the  brothers  was 
touched  upon.  There  are  several  instances  in  their 
subsequent  history — notably  the  occasion  when  they 
wished  to  call  down  fire  from  heaven  on  a  town  which 
refused  to  receive  their  Master — which  indicate  that 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  development  they  were  specially 
characterized  by  a  fiery  and  excessive  zeal.  It  is,  in- 
deed, difficult  to  reconcile  with  this  image  of  St.  John 
the  charity  and  lovableness  of  his  later  years ;  but  the 
fact  seems  to  be  undeniable.  The  Book  of  Revelation 
is  the  transfigured  form  of  this  disposition ;  and  it  is 
a  book  full  of  thunders,  lightnings  and  voices  from 
heaven.  The  character  which  is  gentlest  and  most 
tolerant  in  maturity  may  have,  hidden  at  its  core,  a 
temper  once  hot  but  long  subdued  by  grace.  The 
idea,  then,  is  that  Jesus  was  alluding  to  this  imperfec- 
tion of  the  two  brothers,  marking  it  with  a  name,  that 
they  might  watch  against  temptation  and  overcome 
their  failing.  They  did  overcome  it,  and  this  accounts 
for  the  fact  that  the  name  occurs  nowhere  else;  the 
pecuharity  at  which  it  pointed  having  disappeared  it 
ceased  to  be  applicable,  and  was  forgotten. 

The  objection  to  this  view  is  that,  were  it  true, 
the  name  must  have  been  a   reproof,   almost  a  nick- 


64  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

name,  but  the  names  bestowed  at  similar  crises  through- 
out the  Bible  were  all  intended  as  marks  of  honor.  So 
it  was  when  Abram  was  changed  to  Abraham,  Jacob 
to  Israel,  Simon  to  Peter,  and  so  on.  It  is  not  agree- 
able to  own  that  we  are  baffled,  but  the  circle  of  con- 
jecture in  this  case  yields  nothing  decisive  ;  and  the 
best  we  can  say  is  that  the  name  probably  conveyed 
to  St.  John  and  St.  James  some  secret  of  the  divine 
favor  or  some  hint  for  their  subsequent  progress  which 
we  are  not  now  in  a  position  to  define. 


ST.  JOHN   ONE   OF   THREE.  65 

ST.  JOHN  ONE  OF  THREE. 


XVIII. 


St.  John  was,  first  of  all,  merely  a  believer  in 
Christ.  Then  he  was  drawn  into  the  narrower  circle 
of  Christ's  disciples  —  that  is,  of  those  who  gave  up 
their  occupations,  and  left  all,  to  follow  him  whitherso- 
ever he  went.  Finally,  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
Twelve  who  were  to  be  with  Christ  in  a  still  closer  way 
and  to  act  as  his  heralds  and  ambassadors.  But  at 
this  point  his  progress  did  not  stop :  even  within  the 
circle  of  the  Twelve  there  was  formed,  by  divine  se- 
lection, a  still  narrower  circle  :  three  of  the  Twelve 
became,  in  a  special  sense,  Christ's  confidential  friends, 
and  St.  John  was  one  of  the  Three. 

Are  there  not  such  distinctions  still  ?  The  Chris- 
tian name  is  a  very  wide  word,  and  includes  vast  mul- 
titudes within  its  circumference.  But  Christians  are 
not  all  alike  :  they  are  not  all  equally  near  to  the  Sa- 
viour ;  they  are  not  all  equally  identified  with  his  cause 
and  his  work.  Some  hearts  in  which  the  Gospel  strikes 
root  bear  only  thirty-fold,  while  others  bear  sixty-fold, 
and  some  bear  a  hundred ;  there  is  what  may  be  called 
minimum  Christianity,  and  there  is  average  Christianity, 
and  there  is  a  Christianity  which  may  be  called  max- 
imum. A  man  may  begin  at  the  outer  circle  by  being 
a  minimum  Christian ;  but  he  may  pass  inwards  through 
one  circle  after  another,  still  following  the  attraction  of 

5 


f 


66  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS    LOVED. 

Christ,  till  he  gets  as  near  to  him  and  as  like  him  as  it 
is  possible  in  this  world  to  be.  We  ought  not  to  be 
content  with  m.erely  being  able  to  claim  the  Christian 
name:  if  Christ  is  our  Lord  and  Master,  and  if  we 
have  chosen  him  as  our  ideal  and  pattern,  the  true  path 
of  life  must  consist  in  being  more  and  more  absolutely 
identified  with  him. 

The  image  of  this  close  friendship,  as  we  see  it  in 
the  experience  of  the  Three,  of  whom  St.  John  was  one, 
will  answer  such  inquiries  as  these  :  Into  what  situations 
does  such  a  friendship  take  men  ?  Where  are  its  tryst- 
ing-places  ?  By  what  experiences  are  men  proved  to 
be  specially  His  friends  ? 

The  first  scene  in  which  we  find  the  Three  asso- 
ciated with  Jesus  is  at  the  raising  of  the  daughter  of 
Jairus.  The  other  apostles  were  in  the  street  with 
their  Master,  but,  when  he  arrived  at  the  house,  he 
permitted  none  to  enter  but  Peter,  James  and  John. 

Thus  the  house  of  mourning  was  the  first  rendez- 
vous. And  none  will  ever  be  very  near  to  Jesus  who 
do  not  go  to  meet  him  there.  Many  who  bear  the 
Christian  name  never  go.  Although  in  so  many  of 
his  sayings  Jesus  has  made  the  visiting  of  the  sick  and 
dying,  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  of  the  poor  and 
needy,  a  conspicuous  mark  of  his  religion,  yet  the 
number  of  professing  Christians  is  small  who  go  upon 
such  errands.  Multitudes  who  would  be  indignant  if 
their  Christianity  were  called  in  question  never,  from 
January  to  December,  enter  the  house  of  a  poor  person. 
They  are  not  even  aware  where  such  persons  are  to  be 
found ;    they  would  not  know  how  to  approach  them ; 


ST.   JOHN    ONE   OF   THREE.  67 

they  would  be  shocked  at  the  sight  of  suffering  and 
death ;  the  world  of  misery  is  to  them  a  terra  incog- 
nita. To  some  Christians,  however,  it  is  well  known. 
They  are  always  in  it.  One  case  leads  on  to  another. 
If  only  you  are  known  as  a  friend  and  visitor  of  the 
poor  appeals  will  come  fast  enough.  It  may  appear 
an  undesirable  world  to  know — this  world  of  misery ; 
yet  those  who  go  about  in  it  find  many  features  to 
fascinate.  Undoubtedly  the  most  attractive,  however, 
is  that  Christ  is  there.  Nowhere  else  are  you  more 
certain  of  finding  him  or  of  being  found  by  him. 

The  signt  of  so  stupendous  a  miracle  as  the  raising 
of  a  human  being  from  the  dead  was  a  rare  privilege, 
which  the  Three  enjoyed  by  being  with  Jesus  in  the 
house  of  mourning.  But  perhaps  it  was  for  something 
else  that  he  took  them  there ;  his  own  behavior  on 
this  occasion  was  a  wonderful  illustration  of  gentleness 
and  delicacy  of  feeling  and  action. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  house  death  had  already 
taken  place,  and  the  usual  Jewish  paraphernalia  of 
mourning  were  in  possession.  The  Oriental  gives  vi- 
olent expression  to  his  emotions ;  in  grief  he  rends 
his  garments,  casts  dust  upon  his  head  and  clothes 
himself  in  sackcloth.  And  when  the  extreme  sorrow  of 
bereavement  comes  he  even  calls  in  outsiders  to  ex- 
press his  woe:  professional  mourners  make  doleful 
music  and  hired  women  utter  piercing  wails.  This  was 
all  going  on  when  Jesus  arrived.  But  to  him  it  was 
odious,  as  was  everything  unreal.  He  knew  that  this 
professional  woe  meant  nothing ;  those  who  were  weep- 
ing could  as  easily  laugh ;  indeed,  they  did  laugh  the 


68  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

next  minute,  when  he  said  that  the  maid  was  not  dead. 
So,  assuming  the  form  of  authority  which  he  could  wear 
so  irresistibly  when  occasion  required,  he  put  them  all 
forth,  and  thus  produced  the  silence  which,  to  his  feel- 
ing, was  the  proper  accompaniment  of  death. 

Then,  when  peace  reigned,  he  approached  the 
room  where  death  had  pitched  his  tent.  He  bade  the 
father  and  mother  enter  ;  it  was  their  right.  Then  he 
admitted  the  Three :  twelve  would  have  disturbed  his 
sense  of  congruity.  Then  he  took  her  cold  hand,  that, 
when  she  awoke,  she  might  be  steadied,  instead  of 
being  terrified,  and  might  look  up  in  his  face  and  be 
comforted.  After  the  miracle  was  over  he  ordered  the 
parents  to  give  her  something  to  eat,  that  the  expres- 
sions of  wonder  might  not  continue  too  long ;  and, 
under  cover  of  their  occupation  with  this  duty,  he, 
along  with  the  Three,  retired. 

By  his  reverence  for  death,  for  maidenhood,  for 
fatherhood  and  motherhood,  and  by  his  dislike  of 
noise,  unreality  and  rumor,  Jesus  was  teaching  the 
Three  a  part  of  his  secret.  It  is  not  enough  to  do 
good  deeds :  to  be  Uke  Christ,  these  must  be  done  in 
the  right  manner  —  with  delicacy,  refinement  and  reti- 
cence. There  are  those  who  wish  to  do  good,  but 
they  are  so  boisterous  with  it,  or  they  talk  so  much 
about  it,  that  what  they  do  is  robbed  of  all  grace. 
There  are  those  who  display  a  keen  interest  in  the 
eternal  welfare  of  their  neighbors,  but  they  approach 
them  with  so  litde  respect  that  they  offend  instead  of 
winning.  Such  have  only  learned  the  one  half  of  the 
secret  of  Jesus, 


St.   JOHN   ONE   OF  THREE.  69 


XIX. 

The  next  scene  in  which  the  Three  figure  is  the 
Transfiguration.  In  the  evening  Jesus  took  Peter, 
James  and  John  up  to  a  mountain  apart,  while  the  rest 
of  the  apostles  were  left  below  on  the  plain. 

For  what  purpose  were  they  thus  taken  into  soli- 
tude ?  Knowing  their  Master's  habits  they  could  have 
no  doubt,  as  they  drew  near  the  top  and  the  shades 
of  night  were  falling:  they  were  going  to  pray;  and 
he  at  least  was  still  praying  at  the  moment  when  the 
scenes  of  the  Transfiguration  commenced. 

Those  v/ho  live  close  to  Jesus  and  are  like  him 
must  often  be  with  him  in  the  school  of  prayer.  All 
Christians  pray ;  yet  there  are  great  differences.  The 
prayers  of  many  are  brief  and  formal ;  they  are  a  duty 
rather  than  a  privilege;  they  are  recollections  from 
the  past  rather  than  the  spontaneous  outflowings  of 
present  emotion.  But  to  some  Christians  prayer  is  vital 
breath ;  they  talk  with  God  as  children  with  a  father ; 
they  forget  the  flight  of  time,  because  they  are  ab- 
sorbed and  delighted.  It  was  to  spend  a  whole  night 
on  the  height  that  Jesus  invited  the  Three. 

In  hours  of  this  kind  wonderful  things  occur.  To 
Jesus  himself  the  Transfiguration  may  be  said  to  have 
been  a  reward  for  the  night  of  prayer.  From  the  state 
of  exaltation  to  which  prayer  had  already  raised  him 
he  passed,  without  a  break,  into  the  condition  of  trans- 
figuration.    He  had  reached  a  crisis   of  his  life.     For 


70  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

a  long  time  at  its  commencement  his  ministry  in  Gal- 
ilee had  been  extraordinarily  successful — his  miracles 
excited  unbounded  enthusiasm ;  his  preaching  drew 
countless  multitudes ;  it  seemed  as  if  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  nation  were  to  carry  him  to  the  throne  of 
his  fathers.  But  of  late  a  change  had  taken  place — the 
popular  feeling  had  cooled ;  opposition  had  risen  in 
different  quarters ;  Jesus  had  been  compelled  to  with- 
draw himself  from  the  impure  zeal  of  the  mob.  He 
saw  clearly  in  front  the  narrow  way  at  the  end  of  which 
stood  the  cross.  More  and  more  he  had  been  retir- 
ing into  himself.  He  was  in  need  of  support  and  en- 
couragement. Often  had  he  sought  these  in  commu- 
nion with  the  great  spirits  of  the  past,  by  whom  his 
destiny  of  suffering  had  been  foreseen  and  foretold.  At 
length  communion  with  them  became  so  close  that  Mo- 
ses and  Elias,  the  representatives  of  law  and  prophec)^ 
were  drawn  across  the  confines  of  the  world  invisible, 
and  they  conversed  with  him,  no  doubt  to  his  great 
strengthening  and  comfort,  about  the  decease  which 
he  was  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem  —  the  one  event  in 
Christ's  earthly  history  on  which  is  concentrated  the 
interest  of  all  the  redeemed  of  mankind,  and  of  all 
heaven  itself 

Then  ensued  greater  honor  and  comfort  still,  when 
the  bright  cloud,  the  symbol  of  the  divine  presence, 
enveloped  the  mountain-top,  and  out  of  it  issued  the 
voice  of  God  himself,  saying,  "This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased ;  hear  ye  him."  It 
was  a  testimony  which  must  have  made  his  heart  glad, 
that  his  mode  of  doing  the  work  of  his  Father  had,  up 


ST.   JOHN   ONE    OF   THREE.  J\ 

to  this  point,  been  perfect  and  acceptable,  and  a  pledge 
that  the  same  grace  would  continue  to  sustain  him 
during  the  portion  of  his  obedience  yet  to  come. 

To  the  Three  it  was  a  great  privilege  to  see  their 
Master  in  this  hour  of  exaltation.  Two  of  them  refer  to 
it  in  their  writings  as  a  crowning  mercy  of  their  expe- 
rience. St.  Peter  says,  "  He  received  from  God  the 
Father  honor  and  glory  ....  when  we  were  with  him 
in  the  holy  mount."  And  St.  John  is  probably  referring 
to  the  same  incident  when  he  says  :  *'  We  beheld  his 
glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only-begotten  of  the  Father." 
It  was  a  preparation  for  them,  too,  in  view  of  the  trials 
to  which  their  faith  was  to  be  exposed  in  the  months 
when  their  Master  was  to  be  despised  and  rejected  of 
men.  When  their  Messianic  hopes  were  disappointed, 
and  the  career  of  Jesus  took  a  course  totally  different 
from  that  which  they  had  anticipated,  there  was  put  on 
their  faith  a  tremendous  strain  ;  but  by  what  they  had 
seen  and  heard  on  the  Mount  they  were  enabled  to 
stand  it,  and  to  form  the  nucleus  of  loyalty  round 
which  the  rest  of  the  apostles  gathered. 

All  who  meet  v/ith  Christ  on  the  heights  will,  in 
some  decree,  share  the  same  privileges.  They  will 
possess  evidence  of  the  glory  of  Christ  not  to  be  ob- 
tained elsewhere.  Faith  is  in  some  minds  a  tradition 
handed  down  from  the  past  which  they  have  never 
doubted;  in  others  it  is  a  conviction  laboriously  ham- 
mered out  by  argument.  But  there  is  a  faith  which  is 
more  quick  and  powerful  than  these  :  it  is  the  faith  of 
experience ;  and  it  can  hardly  be  missed  by  those  who 
are  much  on  the  Mount,       In  such  circumstances  they 


72         THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

receive  evidence  of  God's  existence,  his  glory  and  his 
love,  which  becomes  part  and  parcel  of  their  own  be- 
ing ;  and  in  such  intercourse  with  the  Saviour  there 
cannot  but  occur  now  and  then  experiences  of  exalta- 
tion and  revelation  which  are  registered  among  the 
most  precious  memories  of  the  past,  and  can  only  be 
taken  away  by  some  catastrophe  which  blots  out  the 
records  of  experience  altogether. 


ST.   JOHN   ONE   OF   THREE.  73 


XX. 

The  next  occasion  on  which  the  Three  were  alone 
with  Jesus  was  in  Gethsemane.  If  it  is  natural  to  wish 
to  have  dear  friends  near  in  an  hour  of  triumph,  it  is  still 
more  an  instinct  of  the  heart  to  wish  this  in  the  season 
of  sorrow.  Jesus  invited  the  Three  to  the  mountain- 
top  that  they  might  behold  his  glory ;  he  invited  them 
into  the  depths  of  the  garden  that  they  might  support 
him  in  his  hour  of  agony. 

The  soul  of  the  Saviour  was  exceeding  sorrowful, 
even  unto  death.  The  hour  to  which  he  had  long  been 
looking  forward  had  arrived ;  but  it  proved  to  be  intol- 
erably bitter. 

Grief  has  a  double  instinct :  it  seeks  soHtude ;  and 
Jesus  removed  himself  a  stone's  cast  even  from  the 
Three  into  the  depths  of  the  grove ;  yet,  at  the  same 
time,  it  seeks  sympathy;  it  is  a  relief  to  it  to  pour 
itself  out  into  willing  ears  ;  and,  therefore,  Jesus  wished 
them  to  be  near,  that  he  might  go  to  them  when  the 
state  of  his  overcharged  heart  would  allow  him.  The 
disciples  had  need,  besides,  to  pray  on  their  own  ac- 
count. They,  too,  had  reached  a  crisis  in  their  for- 
tunes, where  they  might  suffer  shipwreck,  and  again 
and  again  he  urged  them  to  watch  and  pray,  lest  they 
should  enter  into  temptation. 

It  was  a  golden  opportunity  for  the  Three,  when 
they  could  have  obtained  insight  into  the  heart  of  their 
Master,  and  might  have  rendered  him  service   which 


74  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

would  have  been  divinely  recompensed,  besides  prepar- 
ing themselves  for  playing  the  man  in  the  scenes  which 
were  about  to  ensue.  But  it  was  a  lost  opportunity. 
They  were  near  him  in  Gethsemane ;  yet  they  were 
not  with  him.  Jesus  had  invited  them  to  a  degree  of 
confidence  and  intimacy  beyond  what  they  had  ever 
yet  enjoyed ;  but  they  could  not  enter  so  far  into  his 
secret.  We  wonder  especially  at  St.  John.  He  at 
least  might  have  kept  awake,  although  the  other  two 
had  slept.  He  should  have  filled  the  place  of  the 
angel,  who  had  to  come  from  heaven  to  strengthen 
the  Saviour  because  there  was  not  a  man  to  do  it. 
St.  John's  loving  and  sensitive  heart  you  would  have 
expected  to  be  all  alive  and  awake,  when  he  saw  the 
state  into  which  his  beloved  Master  had  fallen.  But 
even  he  succumbed  to  the  drowsiness  of  grief;  and 
Jesus  came,  seeking  sympathy  and  comfort,  and  found 
none.  *'  Sleep  on  now,"  he  said,  "  and  take  your  rest." 
The  opportunity  was  passed ;  and  nothing  could  ever 
recall  it. 

Christ  still  invites  us  into  Gethsemane.  When 
may  he  be  said  to  do  so  ?  When  his  cause  appears 
to  be  in  desperation  ;  when  the  world  is  all  against 
him,  and  his  truth  requires  to  be  maintained  against 
the  organs  of  public  opinion  and  the  dead  weight  of 
conventionalism  ;  when  to  confess  him  associates  us 
with  the  poor  and  despised,  while  those  whose  good 
opinion  we  have  been  accustomed  to  enjoy  wonder  at 
us.  In  circumstances  of  this  description  a  rare  oppor- 
tunity is  offered  of  getting  near  to  Christ.  Never  do  we 
understand  him  so  well,  never  does  his  love  shine  so 


ST.    JOHN   ONE   OF   THREE.  75 

full  upon  US,  as  when  we  are  sacrificing  honor,  comfort, 
pleasure  for  his  sake.  But  too  often  the  opportunity  is 
lost.  Self-indulgence  in  some  form  comes  in.  It  may 
not  be  a  gross  form  :  the  sleep  of  the  disciples  in  Geth- 
semane  was  very  pardonable,  and  our  self-indulgence 
may  be  something  equally  innocent.  It  may  be  the 
reading  of  a  book  when  we  ought  to  be  saving  a  soul  ; 
it  may  be  sitting  in  the  comfort  of  home  when  we 
ought  to  be  on  the  track  of  the  homeless ;  it  may  be 
acquiescence  in  the  opinions  and  practices  of  the  re- 
spectable set  to  which  we  belong  when  we  ought  to 
come  out  from  them  and,  at  the  risk  of  being  thought 
odd,  or  even  mad,  offer  our  protest.  A  thing  in  itself 
entirely  innocent  may  act  as  a  soporific — to  dull  the 
sense  of  duty,  and  smother  the  call  of  Christ — so  that 
the  opportunity  of  being  brought  close  to  him  through 
the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings  is  lost  for  ever. 


76  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


XXI. 

There  is  one  more  scene  in  which  the  Three 
appear  along  with  Jesus,  though  on  this  occasion  there 
was  associated  with  them  a  fourth  —  St.  Andrew,  the 
brother  of  St.  Peter ;  the  same  who  in  the  Hsts  of  the 
apostles  is  always  associated  with  the  Three  in  form- 
ing the  first  group  of  four.  On  a  day  in  the  last  week 
of  our  Lord's  earthly  Hfe  we  find  these  four  seated 
with  Him  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  over  against  the  Tem- 
ple —  that  is,  they  were  looking  across  the  holy  city, 
which  lay  at  their  feet,  and  they  were  thinking  of  the 
doom  by  which,  Jesus  had  told  them,  it  was  to  be 
overtaken  —  when  they  asked  him,  "  Tell  us,  when 
shall  these  things  be?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign 
when  all  these  things  shall  be  fulfilled  ?  " 

In  thus  asking  they  were  exercising  a  privilege 
often  used  by  the  Twelve,  to  seek  for  an  explanation  of 
anything  in  their  Master's  doctrine  which  they  had  not 
understood,  or  the  solution  of  any  problem  suggested 
to  their  minds  by  remarks  which  he  had  made.  Prob- 
ably this  privilege  had  been  specially  exercised  on 
other  occasions  by  the  Three.  It  was  a  very  precious 
privilege,  and  on  this  occasion  Jesus  gave  a  very  full 
and  impressive  answer. 

It  is  a  sign  of  advancement  in  the  divine  life  to  feel 
an  interest  in  the  mysteries  of  religion;  and  in  this 
region  Jesus  meets  those  who  have  his  mind.  In  our 
day,  indeed,  the  desire  is  often  expressed  for  a  Ghris- 


ST.   JOHN    ONE   OF  THREE.  7/ 

tianity  free  from  mysteries :   would  not  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  along  with  a  simple  outline  of  the  facts  con- 
■  tained  in  the  gospels,  be  enough  ?  can  we  not  get  quit 
altogether  of  dogmas  and  doctrines  ?    Well,  it  is  a  very 
fair  question  how  much  ought  to  be  demanded  as  a 
foundation  for  Christian  union  and  cooperation.      The 
quantum  ought  perhaps  to  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
If  any  man  acknowledges  Christ  as  his  Lord  and  Sav- 
iour we  need  not  ask  much  more  about  his  creed  be- 
fore welcoming  him  as  a  Christian  brother.     But,  while 
a  minimum  of  belief  may  be  enough  to  entitle  a  man 
to  be  called  a  Christian,  a  man  cannot  be  an  advanced 
or   matured  Christian  without  the  necessity  asserting 
itself  within  him  for  a  more  comprehensive  creed.     The 
Christian   life,   as  it    progresses,  raises   questions   the 
answers  to  which  are  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  and 
the  deeper  the  life  is  the  deeper  will  be  the  doctrines 
required  to  express  it. 

It  is  true  that  there  is  an  intellectualism  which 
separates  dogma  from  life  and  substitutes  the  reasonings 
of  the  head  for  the  experiences  of  the  heart.  There  is 
also  a  prying  into  religious  mysteries  which  is  born 
only  of  morbid  curiosity.  There  is,  for  example,  a 
habit  of  speculating  about  the  future  which  sometimes 
approaches  the  brink  of  insanity.  But  the  caricature 
of  a  thing  is  no  condemnation  of  the  thing  itself  On 
this  occasion  Christ  did  not  tell  the  inquiring  spirits  by 
whom  he  was  surrounded  that  such  questions  as  they 
had  put  were  of  no  moment.  He  gave  a  solemn  and 
satisfying  answer. 

There  are  doctrines  which  are  simply  the  intellec- 


78  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

tual  equivalents  for  spiritual  experiences,  and  where  the 
experiences  exist  the  truths  which  explain  them  will  be 
understood  and  relished  —  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
contempt  or  impatience  of  these  doctrines  is  an  indi- 
cation of  the  absence  of  the  experiences.  So  a  living 
interest  in  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  gives 
an  interest  in  the  mystery  of  the  future.  You  cannot 
break  up  a  human  nature  into  compartments  and  say 
that  religion  is  to  reside  in  some  of  them  and  not  in 
others.  Where  religion  is  real  end  progressive  it 
quickens  the  whole  man.  And  not  least  does  it  affect 
the  intelligence.  The  intellect  is  a  noble  faculty,  and 
when,  under  the  excitement  of  experience,  it  seeks  to 
penetrate  the  mystery  of  life,  He  who  is  our  wisdom, 
no  less  than  our  righteousness  and  sanctification,  de- 
lights to  answer  its  interrogations. 


ST.   JOHN  S   BESETTING   SIN.  79 


ST.  JOHN'S  BESETTING  SIN. 


XXII. 

The  destiny  of  St.  John  was  to  be  near  to  Christ. 
From  the  outside  world  he  entered  first  within  the 
circle  of  Christ's  disciples.  From  there  he  moved 
inwards,  within  the  circle  of  the  Twelve.  Still  he 
pressed  nearer,  being  admitted  into  the  circle  of  the 
Three.    And,  finally,  he  was  the  One  whom  Jesus  loved. 

It  was  a  glorious  destiny.  Many  a  man  would 
say  that  the  greatest  distinction  of  his  life  has  been  the 
set  of  friends  he  has  known.  Even  a  single  friendship, 
with  a  specially  gifted  man  or  woman,  may  be  the  most 
golden  memory  of  a  life.  But  no  friendship  the  world 
has  ever  seen  can  be  compared  with  that  enjoyed  by 
St.  John.  To  lie  on  the  breast  of  the  Son  of  man,  to 
share  his  inmost  thoughts,  to  be  formed  by  daily  and 
hourly  contact  with  his  personality — this  was  an  unpar- 
alleled privilege. 

Like  all  great  privileges,  however,  it  had  its  penal- 
ties. And  one  of  these  was  the  exposure  of  the  disci- 
ple's weaknesses.  None  could  come  near  to  Christ 
without  being  dwarfed  by  his  stature  and  darkened  in 
his  light.  We  see,  especially  in  the  final  scenes  of  his 
life,  how  this  happened  to  his  enemies.  One  after  an- 
other approached  him — Judas,  Caiaphas,  Herod,  Pilate 
and  the  rest — only  to  have  every  spot  and  wrinkle  of 


8o  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

his  own  character  made  everlastingly  visible.  But  the 
same  happened,  in  a  different  way,  to  his  friends.  No 
doubt  Jesus  drew  forth  all  that  was  good  in  them  : 
whatever  seeds  of  promise  their  natures  contained  were 
rapidly  developed  by  the  influence  of  his  companion- 
ship. But  the  evil  in  them  was  brought  to  light  too. 
Sometimes,  when  a  block  of  freestone  is  brought  from 
the  quarry  and  dressed  in  the  sculptor's  yard,  it  looks 
beautiful,  but  after  it  has  been  fitted  into  its  place  in  the 
building  the  action  of  the  weather  has  a  strange  effect. 
The  stone  begins  to  bleed,  as  the  phrase  is  ;  its  surface 
becomes  covered  with  discoloring  exudations.  These 
proceed  from  iron  or  sulphur  hidden  in  its  interior  ; 
and  the  disfiguration  may  be  so  great  that  the  stone 
has  to  be  removed  from  its  place  altogether.  The 
fellowship  and  work  of  Christ  have  a  similar  effect  on 
his  followers,  bringing  to  the  surface  their  concealed 
vices  and  unconscious  weaknesses. 

Weaknesses  like  those  of  St.  John  are  especially 
tested  by  Christ's  work.  In  human  nature  there  are 
two  opposite  poles  of  sin,  within  which  all  the  other 
forms  of  evil  find  their  places.  Where  the  constitution 
is  soft  and  loose,  the  temptation  is  self-indulgence  in 
its  various  forms ;  but  where,  on  the  contrary,  the  ele- 
ments are  finer  and  more  compact,  the  danger  lies  in 
self-conceit,  with  all  its  developments  of  arrogance, 
ambition  and  intolerance.  St.  John's  was  a  refined  and 
reserved  nature,  and  pride  was  his  besetting  sin.  On 
this  the  work  of  Christ  has  an  exciting  effect,  because 
it  separates  a  man  from  his  fellows  and  places  him  in  a 
superior  position.     He  possesses  a  secret  which  others 


ST.    JOHN  S   BESETTING   SIN.  8 1 

do  not  share  ;  he  criticises  their  conduct  from  the  height 
of  his  own  ideal ;  he  approaches  them  as  a  reprover 
and  a  revealer.  Unless  he  has  learned  from  some 
other  quarter  the  secret  of  humihty,  his  position  may- 
make  him  scornful  and  overbearing. 

There  is  a  legend  of  St.  John's  later  Hfe  which,  if 
it  were  true,  would  prove  that  this  failing  clung  to  him 
to  the  last.  MeeUng  the  heretic  Cerinthus  in  the  bath, 
it  is  said,  he  fled  from  the  building,  alleging  as  his  rea- 
son that  it  was  not  safe  to  be  under  the  same  roof  with 
such  an  enemy  of  God,  because  the  judgment  of  God 
might  at  any  moment  destroy  the  building  which  con- 
tained him.  But  we  will  hope  that  the  education  im- 
parted in  the  school  of  Christ  had  long  before  the 
arrival  of  old  age  made  St.  Jolm  more  charitable  in  his 
judgments  and  more  watchful  of  his  words. 


82  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


XXIII. 

The  most  conspicuous  occasion  on  which  the  ten- 
dency to  pride  showed  itself  in  St.  John's  conduct  was 
when,  with  his  brother  and  his  mother,  he  came  to 
Jesus  to  petition  him  for  a  certain  thing. 

It  is  not  clear  whether  the  ambitious  notion  orig- 
inated in  the  minds  of  the  sons  or  in  that  of  the  mo- 
ther. In  one  of  the  gospels  the  mother  appears  to 
take  the  initiative,  bringing  her  sons  to  Jesus  and  pros- 
trating herself  before  him,  to  ask  on  their  behalf  that 
they  should  sit,  the  one  on  his  right  hand  and  the 
other  on  his  left,  in  his  kingdom ;  but  it  is  possible  that 
she  was  only  the  catspaw  through  whom  they  sought 
their  ambitious  ends.  If  so,  their  design  was  well 
planned.  A  woman  is  a  more  effective  petitioner  than 
a  man.  Even  the  excess  of  pride  in  her  sons  which  she 
may  display  has  an  amiable  appearance  and  moves 
sympathy  rather  than  antipathy.  She  no  doubt  ap- 
proached Christ  with  a  smile,  and  what  in  them  might 
have  looked  offensive  seemed  admirable  in  her.  Be- 
sides, she  had  claims.  She  was  the  aunt  of  Jesus,  in  all 
probabihty.  She  had  been  one  of  those  women  who  in 
GaHlee  had  followed  him,  ministering  to  him  of  their 
substance.  Above  all,  she  had  given  him  her  two  sons, 
who  had  been  among  the  very  best  of  his  followers. 
Salome  was  herself  a  true  lover  and  disciple  of  Jesus. 
But  her  devotion  to  the  cause  was  mixed  with  selfish 
elements ;  and,  because  her  ambition  was  on  behalf  of 


ST.   JOHN'S   BESETTING   SIN.  83 

her  sons  rather  than  herself,  she  may  have  indulged  it 
with  the  less  fear.  She  had  not  yet  learned  to  know 
her  Teacher  well  enough,  or  to  feel  how  small  all  such 
selfish  desires  were  to  be  made  by  the  tragedy  of  his 
fate. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  her  sons, 
though  they  kept  in  the  back-ground,  were  quite  as  full 
of  ambition.  Indeed,  in  one  of  the  gospels  they  are 
represented  as  presenting  the  petition  on  their  own 
behalf;  and  this  lets  out  the  secret :  the  design  was 
more  theirs  than  hers.  Some  have  discerned  good 
elements  in  their  ambition.  It  sprang,  they  think, 
from  their  desire  to  be  near  Christ ;  it  showed  at  least 
their  faith  in  his  royal  dignity  and  claims.  "The 
juice  of  the  ripe  apple  is  the  same,"  it  has  been  re- 
marked, "  that  it  was  in  the  green  fruit,  plus  sunlight 
and  sunheat."  And  it  is  true  that  what  in  youth  is 
self-conceit  and  intolerance  may,  through  maturing  ol 
experience  and  the  influence  of  sanctification,  grow 
into  the  dignity  and  stability  of  a  self-respecting  char- 
acter. The  self-suppression  of  St.  John's  later  writings 
may  be  only  the  self-assertion  of  his  youth  in  a  ripened 
and  sanctified  form ;  and  the  intolerance  of  his  youth 
may  in  his  old  age  have  mellowed  into  the  firmness  of 
principle  and  the  perseverance  of  tireless  love.  But 
certainly  at  this  early  stage  his  ambition  was  of  the 
earth,  earthy ;  and  its  manifestation  was  both  unlovely 
and  hurtful. 

One  of  its  evil  results  was  to  inflame  the  rest  of 
the  apostles.  When  they  heard  the  petition  of  James 
and  John  they  were  indignant.     It  seemed  to  them  that 


84  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

the  brothers  v/ere  trying-  to  take  a  mean  advantage  of 
them.  And  this  was  too  true.  Yet  their  own  anger 
sprang  from  the  same  root.  They  also  were  dreaming 
of  thrones  and  dignities.  From  other  incidents  we 
learn  that  the  whole  apostolic  circle  was  at  this  time 
inwardly  convulsed  by  such  desires  and  disputes.  Yet 
day  by  day  Jesus  was,  at  this  very  time,  telling  them 
that  he  was  to  suffer  and  die.  Self  was  reigning  in 
them,  and  so  their  eyes  were  blinded.  He  might  have 
said  to  them,  "My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 
neither  are  your  ways  my  ways." 


ST.   JOHN'S   BESETTING   SIN.  85 


XXIV. 

He  did  speak  to  them  on  this  occasion,  and  in 
words  of  great  dignity  and  profundity  set  before  them 
the  contrast  between  the  selfish  spirit  which  they  had 
been  displaying  and  the  true  spirit  of  his  kingdom  ; 
but  he  spoke  with  kindness  and  consideration,  not  in 
anger  but  in  sorrow,  for  he  knew  how  difficult  was 
their  situation  and  how  little  they  were  yet  able  to  take 
in  the  truth:  nothing  but  events  could  disabuse  their 
minds  of  the  prejudices  in  which  they  were  held. 

"Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask,"  he  said  to  the  bro- 
thers. Their  petition  was  that  they  might  be  on  his 
right  hand  and  on  his  left ;  but  his  prophetic  eye,  look- 
ing forward  to  the  crisis  v/hich  now  arrested  his  atten- 
tion whenever  he  thought  of  the  future,  saw  on  his  right 
hand  and  on  his  left — what?  On  each  hand  a  cross, 
with  a  victim  upon  it.  To  be  in  the  place  of  the  two 
thieves,  crucified  with  him,  was  what  they  were  ask- 
ing, if  they  had  only  known. 

The  favorites  of  a  king,  seated  on  his  right  hand 
and  on  his  left,  may  have  the  privilege  of  drinking  out 
of  the  royal  cup  and  dipping  their  fingers  or  napkins 
in  the  vessel  in  which  he  washes  his  hands ;  and  James 
and  John  had  had  this  honor  in  their  thoughts.  But 
the  thoughts  of  Jesus  flew  forward  to  a  cup  of  which 
he  was  to  drink,  and  a  laver  in  which  he  was  to  bathe  ; 
but  the  cup  was  his  agony,  and  the  laver  the  bath  of 
his   own  blood.      With   deep   emotion   he,  therefore. 


86        THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

asked,  "  Are  ye  able  to  drink  my  cup  and  be  baptized 
with  my  baptism  ?"  "  Yes,"  they  repHed,  "  we  are 
able,"  not  knowing  what  they  said.  And  again,  as  his 
prophetic  eye  glanced  into  the  future,  he  added,  "  Ye 
shall,  indeed,  drink  of  my  cup  and  be  baptized  with  my 
baptism ;"  for  he  foresaw  that  St.  James  was  to  fall  a 
martyr  under  the  sword  of  Herod,  and  he  knew  by 
what  manner  of  death  St.  John  was  to  glorify  God. 

"  But,"  he  added,  "  to  sit  on  my  right  hand  and  on 
my  left  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  unto 
them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father."  These 
words  sound  hke  a  limitation  of  the  knowledge  and 
authority  of  Jesus;  as  if  this  were  one  of  those  myste- 
rious things  which,  he  declared  on  another  occasion, 
the  Father  had  kept  in  his  own  hand.  But  probably 
the  meaning  is  simple.  Salome  and  her  sons  had 
asked  Jesus  to  bestow  the  honors  of  his  kingdom  in 
answer  to  their  petition.  Such  was  the  bad  practice 
of  Oriental  monarchs  :  they  gave  places  away  to  favor- 
ites capriciously,  without  regard  to  services  or  merits. 
Jesus  says  there  is  to  be  in  his  kingdom  no  such  favor- 
itism or  giving  away  of  positions :  every  post  will  be 
given  to  the  man  for  whom  it  has  been  prepared,  or 
to  the  man  who  has  been  prepared  for  it.  The  man  on 
whom  God  has  conferred  the  necessary  gifts  and  graces, 
and  who,  employing  well  his  talents  in  a  few  things,  has 
qualified  himself  for  being  entrusted  with  many  things — 
to  him  will  the  place  of  honor  be  given. 

In  addressing  the  Twelve  Jesus  made  this  con- 
trast still  more  clear  and  emphatic.  The  way  of  earth- 
ly monarchies  is  that  birth  gives  position,  and  he  who 


ST.   JOHN'S   BESETTING   SIN.  87 

has  the  position  uses  it  for  his  own  pleasure  and  ag- 
grandizement ;  his  station  is  measured  by  the  numbers 
who  are  ready  to  bow  to  him  and  serve  him.  In  the 
kingdom  of  God  the  ruHng  principle  is  exactly  the 
reverse.  Greatness  is  measured  not  by  the  number  of 
those  who  serve  you,  but  by  the  number  of  those  whom 
you  serve,  and  by  the  value  of  the  services  you  render 
them.  A  high  position  is  to  be  coveted,  not  because 
it  confers  ease  or  fame,  but  because  it  supplies  the 
opportunity  of  doing  more  extensive  good. 

Never,  surely,  did  Christ  utter  a  more  revolution- 
ary word  or  characterize  more  clearly  the  difference 
between  the  world  and  Christianity.  For  what  are  the 
men  and  women  of  the  world  toiling,  moiHng  and  striv- 
ing ?  To  see  who  shall  be  uppermost ;  who  shall  com- 
mand and  control  others ;  who  shall  be  flattered  and 
feared.  But  that,  says  Jesus,  is  not  greatness :  he  is 
great  who  makes  the  world  a  wholesome  and  sunny 
place  for  others,  and  who,  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  own 
happiness,  if  necessary,  makes  others  rejoice.  Who  is 
king  of  men  and  queen  of  women  ?  He  and  she  who 
make  the  greatest  number  good  and  glad. 

How  slowly  the  world  learns  this  lesson !  How 
slowly  the  Church  learns  it !  Yet  it  is  the  lesson  of  the 
Hfe  of  Christ.  Why  is  he  the  greatest  among  the  chil- 
dren of  men  ?  Because  he  took  the  whole  human  race 
into  the  embrace  of  his  beneficence,  and  because  the 
blessing  which  he  conferred  on  them  was  the  greatest 
of  all — the  gift  of  salvation.  "  The  Son  of  man  came 
to  minister,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many." 


88  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 


XXV. 

There  was  another  occasion  on  which  St.  John 
showed  the  same  infirmity  of  temper.  It  came  out 
during  a  scene  of  indescribable  beauty  in  the  hfe  of 
Christ.  Among  the  disciples  there  had  been  a  dispute 
which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest  ;  and  their  Mas- 
ter, knowing  their  thoughts,  took  a  child  and  set  him 
in  the  midst ;  then,  clasping  him  in  his  arms,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  speak  to  them  of  the  childHke  spirit  which 
they  ought  to  cultivate,  and  of  the  danger  of  doing 
any  offense  to  one  of  his  little  ones. 

As  the  discourse  proceeded  in  this  strain,  some  of 
its  words  struck  upon  the  conscience  of  one  of  the  lis- 
teners. It  was  St.  John,  who  remembered  an  incident 
of  the  recent  past  which  seemed  to  be  placed  in  a  new 
light  by  what  the  Master  was  saying.  Perhaps  even  at 
the  time  he  had  been  doubtful  about  it ;  but  now  he 
was  convinced  that  he  had  done  wrong;  so  he  made 
his  confession.  And  it  is  to  his  honor  that  he  was  so 
prompt  both  to  feel  the  prick  of  conscience  and  to  make 
a  public  acknowledgment  of  his  mistake. 

The  story  was  that,  on  a  certain  occasion  when  they 
were  separate  from  their  Master,  the  apostles  had  fallen 
in  with  one  who  was  casting  out  devils  in  his  name; 
and  they  had  forbidden  him,  because  he  followed  not 
with  them  :  he  did  not  belong  to  the  company  of  Jesus. 
It  is  interesting  to  learn  that  faith  in  Christ  had  thus 
spread   sporadically,    outside   the    circle   round  about 


ST.   JOHN'S   BESETTING   SIN.  89 

himself,  and  that  it  was  strong  enough  even  to  cast  out 
devils  in  his  name.  In  a  similar  way  we  find  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Baptist  taking  root  far  from  the  scene  of  his 
labors  and  apart  from  the  regular  succession  of  his  dis- 
ciples. 

But  St.  John  and  his  companions  had  forbidden 
this  humble  and  imperfect  believer.  It  was  a  good 
work  in  which  he  was  engaged,  for  surely  the  more 
victims  could  be  delivered  from  the  power  of  the  devils 
the  better,  but  they  discovered  some  irregularity  in  his 
method  of  procedure ;  though  he  had  the  pov/er  of  the 
Spirit  he  lacked  the  proper  legitimation.  Therefore,  it 
seemed  to  them,  he  was  poaching  on  their  preserves, 
and  with  the  pride  of  authority  they  silenced  him. 

It  is  pitiable  to  think,  with  this  standing  in  the  gos- 
pels, how  often  the  same  mistake  has  been  repeated — 
how  often  the  officials  of  the  church  have  silenced  tes- 
timony or  stamped  out  good  work  inspired  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  because  it  has  seemed  to  them  to  be  in 
some  way  out  of  order  or  destitute  of  authority;  how 
this  or  that  branch  of  the  church  has  considered  itself 
the  only  legitimate  one;  and  how  the  good  of  one  sec- 
tion of  the  church  has  been  evil  spoken  of  by  the  rest. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  would  be  vain  to  deny  that 
toleration  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  virtues  to  exercise. 
It  is  not  easy  to  find  the  golden  mean  between  Sad- 
ducean  laxity  on  the  one  hand  and  Pharisaic  cen- 
soriousness  on  the  other.  We  may  be  censuring  the 
disciples  at  the  safe  distance  of  the  centuries  and  doing 
the  same  thing  ourselves. 

Yet  Jesus  laid  down  on  this  occasion  a  broad  rule : 


90  THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

"He  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us."  On  another 
occasion  he  said  precisely  the  reverse  :  "  He  that  is  not 
for  us  is  against  us."  How  shall  we  reconcile  these 
opposite  maxims?  It  is  not  difficult:  obviously  the 
one  is  a  rule  for  judging  others,  the  other  a  rule  for 
judging  ourselves.  When  we  are  criticising  our  own 
conduct  we  should  be  stern  and  searching  and  this 
word  should  sound  in  our  souls  :  "  He  that  is  not  with 
me  is  against  me;"  but  when  we  are  criticising  the 
conduct  of  others  we  ought  to  be  lenient  and  charita- 
ble, remembering  this  word :  **  He  that  is  not  against  us 
is  for  us."  We  know  the  motives  of  our  own  actions 
and  the  feelings  which  follow  them ;  but  we  do  not 
know  the  motives  and  feehngs  of  others. 

"  One  point  must  still  be  greatly  dark: 

The  reason  why  they  do  it ; 
And  just  as  lamely  can  we  mark 

How  far  perhaps  they  rue  it.  - 1 

Then  at  the  balance  let 's  be  mute,  ' 

We  never  can  adjust  it ; 
What 's  done  we  partly  may  compute. 

We  know  not  what 's  resisted." 


ST.  JOHN'S   BESETTING  SIN.  9I 


XXVL 

The  third  case  in  which  St.  John's  arrogance  and 
heat  of  temper  came  out  was  during  the  last  journey  to 
Jerusalem. 

Jesus  was  passing  from  town  to  town,  as  he  jour- 
neyed towards  the  capital,  healing  the  sick  and  pro- 
claiming the  kingdom  of  God ;  and  it  seems  to  have 
been  his  practice  to  send  on  messengers  in  advance, 
to  place  after  place,  to  announce  his  coming  and  per- 
haps also  to  make  some  provision  for  the  entertainment 
of  himself  and  his  company.  Two  of  these  messengers 
were  sent  to  a  Samaritan  village ;  for  his  road  lay 
through  Samaria;  but  they  were  met  by  an  outburst  of 
fanatical  ill-feehng:  the  Samaritans  would  not  receive 
them  because  they  were  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem. 

The  Jews  had  no  deahngs  with  the  Samaritans; 
the  Samaritans  worshipped  "in  this  mountain,"  but  the 
Jews  considered  that  Jerusalem  was  the  place  where 
men  ought  to  worship.  The  rivalry  was  ancient  and 
bitter,  and  at  any  moment  it  was  liable  to  break  out. 
The  hatred  of  the  Samaritans  not  infrequently  vented 
itself  on  the  Jewish  pilgrims  going  to  the  feasts  at 
Jerusalem  ;  and  it  was  in  this  character  that  Jesus  and 
the  apostles  appeared  to  the  Samaritan  villagers  on 
this  occasion. 

But  the  apostles  were  furious :  this  was  an  insult  to 
them  and  an  insult  to  their  Master,  whose  greatness 
these  rude  fanatics  wholly  ignored.    James  and  John 


92        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED. 

especially  distinguished  themselves  by  their  zeal ;  and 
they  asked  their  Master,  "Shall  we  call  down  fire  on  J- — 
them  from  heaven,  as  did  the  prophet  Elijah?"  It 
was  a  strange  question.  There  was  in  it  the  pride  of 
miraculous  power :  they  were  confident  that  they  could 
have  produced  the  lightning.  Yet  almost  unconscious- 
ly they  felt  that  their  proposal  was  unchristlike ;  for 
they  did  not  ask  him  to  do  it,  but  said,  "  Shall  we  call 
down  fire  ?"  Very  significant  was  their  appeal  to  Eli- 
jah. This  prophet  had  once  brought  down  fire  from 
heaven  in  Samaria ;  and  their  thought  was  justified  to 
their  own  minds  by  appealing  to  so  great  an  example. 

Yet  it  was  the  old  man  in  them  that  was  speaking. 
It  was,  indeed,  the  same  provincial  and  fanatical  spirit 
as  had  spoken  in  the  refusal  of  the  Samaritans  to  enter- 
tain them.  The  old  race  hatred  between  Jews  and 
Samaritans  had  blazed  up  in  their  hearts,  attempting 
to  wield  the  weapons  of  Christ  and  to  wear  the  mantle 
of  Scripture.  How  often  have  such  passions — between 
Guelph  and  Ghibelline,  for  example,  or  between  Ro- 
man-catholic and  Orangeman — made  the  same  attempt, 
speaking  the  pious  language  of  religion  and  quoting 
the  sanction  of  Scripture.  Men  have  mistaken  their 
own  evil  passions  for  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  have  believed  themselves  to  be  doing  God 
service  when  they  have  let  loose  the  demons  of  perse- 
cution, harrying  innocent  countries  with  fire  and  sword, 
and  driving  to  the  gallows  and  the  stake  men  and 
women  often  a  thousand  times  better  than  themselves. 

But  Jesus  at  once  put  his  foot  on  this  strange  fire, 
with  which  his  apostles  sought  to  honor    him.     *'  Ye 


ST.   JOHN  S   BESETTING   SIN.  93 

know  not,"  he  said,  "  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are 
of.''  This  may  mean,  "  Ye  know  not  what  spirit  has  at 
present  possession  of  you  ;  you  think  it  is  the  spirit  of 
rehgion,  but  it  is  the  spirit  of  evil,  masquerading  in  its 
clothes."  Or  it  may  mean  that  they  were  yet  imper- 
fecdy  acquainted  with  the  spirit  which,  as  his  followers, 
they  ought  to  cultivate.  They  had  appealed  to  Elijah, 
one  of  the  foremost  representatives  of  the  old  cove- 
nant ;  but  they  ought  to  be  aware  that  they  were  now 
under  a  better  covenant.  The  spirit  of  the  old  dispen- 
sation was  legal  and  stern ;  the  spirit  of  the  new  was 
love.  **  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them." 

This  is  the  supreme  rule  and  example  ;  although 
they  had  not  yet  seen  the  supreme  effort  of  their  Mas- 
ter's forgiving  love.  If  ever  anyone  was  entitled  to 
feel  resentment  against  his  fellow-creatures,  it  was  the 
Son  of  God ;  justly  might  he  have  cursed  and  blighted 
the  human  race.  But  instead  of  doing  so  he  gave  his 
life  for  the  world.  We  may  ourselves,  like  these  surly 
Samaritans,  have  refused  to  entertain  him,  keeping 
him  out  of  our  heart  and  refusing  to  have  him  to  reign 
over  us.  Yet  he  has  not  ceased  to  love  us ;  he  is  sdll 
waiUng  to  be  gracious.  And  it  is  when  we  have  rec- 
ognized how  magnanimous  and  forgiving  he  is  to  us 
that  we  learn  the  lesson  of  forgiveness.  Having  ob- 
tained so  great  mercy  we  learn  to  be  merciful. 

It  is  strange  to  think  that  St.  John  was  ever  a  prey 
to  such  passions  as  ambidon,  intolerance,  and  perse- 
cuting zeal — he  whose  very  name  is  now  a  synonym 
for  love.     But  it  is  an  encouraging  fact :  it  shows  what 


94  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

changes  grace  can  work.  Intercourse  with  Christ  trans- 
figured St.  John.  Above  all,  he  was  altered  by  the 
passion  of  his  Lord :  the  sight  of  that  self-sacrifice  for 
the  sake  of  enemies  made  all  resentful  feelings  die  out 
of  him ;  in  the  cross  he  saw  that  love  alone  is  great, 
and  he  could  not  hate  his  brother  man  any  more. 
The  cross  of  Christ  is  the  school  of  charity. 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHO  LOVED   JESUS.  95 


THE  DISCIPLE  AVHO  LOVED  JESUS. 


XXVII. 


St.  John  was  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  but 
he  was  also  the  disciple  who  loved  Jesus.  All  the 
disciples,  with  the  exception  of  Judas,  loved  the  Lord, 
just  as  He  loved  them  all ;  but,  as  he  bore  to  St.  John 
a  peculiar  love,  so  the  love  of  this  apostle  for  him  was 
peculiarly  deep  and  faithful. 

Of  this,  indeed,  there  is  in  the  earlier  passages  of 
St.  John's  history  Httle  evidence ;  some  passages  even 
appear  to  betray  an  unusually  selfish  temper.  But  his 
affection  for  his  Master  must  have  been  organizing 
itself  in  the  depths  of  his  nature,  and  at  length  it  broke 
somewhat  suddenly  into  flower.  Sometimes  love  is 
thus  brought  suddenly  to  a  head.  It  may  never  have 
been  confessed,  it  may  not  even  have  come  to  con- 
sciousness in  the  heart  itself  till  some  unexpected  turn 
of  circumstances  supplies  the  opportunity,  when  all 
at  once  it  overflows  the  heart  in  a  passion  of  desire, 
and  at  the  same  time  makes  itself  known  by  word  or 
act. 

Among  such  occasions  misfortune  is  not  an  un- 
usual one.  To  see  the  person  beloved  in  a  position  of 
dire  need  calls  forth  chivalrous  devotion ;  reticence  is 
forgotten,  and  personal  considerations  are  thrown  to 
the  winds ;  the  lover  stands  forth,  avowing  his  passion 


96  THE   DISCIPLE    WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

before  the  world  and  ready  to  bear  or  to  do  anythingf 
which  the  interests  of  the  object  of  his  affection  may 
require.  Such  were  the  circumstances  in  which  St. 
John's  love  for  Jesus  came  to  full  maturity  and  mani- 
festation ;  it  was  in  the  four-and-twenty  hours  before 
the  death  on  the  cross  that  he  showed  how  much  he 
loved  the  Saviour. 

The  first  scene  of  the  kind  took  place  in  the  upper 
room  during  the  evening  of  the  Last  Supper,  before 
the  Lord  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  enemJes. 

The  feet-washing  had  taken  place,  and,  the  dis- 
pute which  had  given  occasion  to  it  having  been  com- 
posed, the  Twelve  were  at  last  arranged  round  the  table 
to  begin  the  evening  meal.  They  reclined  on  couches, 
each  resting  on  his  left  elbow  with  his  feet  outstretched 
towards  the  back  of  the  couch,  so  that  the  back  of  the 
head  of  his  next  neighbor  was  at  each  one's  breast. 
St.  John  had  the  place  immediately  in  front  of  Jesus, 
on  whose  breast  he  therefore  leaned.  It  was  a  place 
apparendy  conceded  instinctively  to  him  by  the  rest, 
perhaps  expressly  appointed  by  Christ  himself  It 
afforded  opportunity,  at  all  events,  for  closer  fellowship 
than  was  conceded  to  the  others. 

Jesus  had  produced  peace  among  the  Twelve  ;  but 
he  was  not  at  peace  within  himself,  and  his  conversation 
could  not  flow  as  it  did  later  in  the  evening.  As  the 
dove  shivers  when  the  hawk  appears  in  the  sky,  or  the 
horse  stops  and  is  bathed  in  perspiration  when  a  snake 
lies  across  its  path,  so  the  spirit  of  Jesus  was  troubled, 
because  in  this  scene  about  to  be  dedicated  to  friendship 
and  religious  exaltation  there  was  an  element  entirely 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHO  LOVED   JESUS.  97 

foreign  and  hostile.  With  the  false  heart  of  Judas  in 
the  room  the  spirits  of  Jesus  could  not  rise  ;  and  at 
last  he  was  forced  to  let  out  the  secret :  "  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me." 

The  word  fell  like  a  bombshell  among  the  guests, 
and  instantly  every  one  looked  into  the  eyes  of  his 
neighbor  to  see  the  signs  of  guilt.  Judas  must  have 
had  a  mind  thoroughly  schooled  in  the  art  of  dissimu- 
lation to  be  able  to  remain  unmoved  beneath  these 
searching  glances  ;  but  he  did  not  betray  himself  with 
the  faintest  blush  or  the  least  quiver  of  a  lip.  It  speaks 
well  for  the  honest  hearts  of  the  rest  that  they  had 
never  suspected  him ;  they  were  not  forward  to  think 
evil  of  a  brother.  Even  now  each  rather  doubted  him- 
self; and  they  began  to  ask  in  turn,  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?" 

At  last,  however,  St.  Peter,  who  happened  to  be 
placed  down  the  table  at  a  distance  from  Jesus,  signified 
by  a  gesture  to  St.  John  to  ask  the  Master  who  was  to 
be  the  betrayer.  This  was  a  significant  act.  It  was 
the  acknowledgment  by  St.  Peter  of  St.  John's  primacy 
in  the  love  and  confidence  of  Christ.  It  was  a  tribute 
from  the  man  of  action  to  the  man  of  contemplation. 
Those  who  are  most  prominent  in  the  outer  work  of 
the  Church  must  sometimes  be  indebted  to  the  less 
conspicuous  disciples,  who  lie  in  the  bosom  of  the  truth 
and  brood  on  its  hidden  mysteries. 

St.  John  asked  the  question  in  a  whisper.  Jesus 
might  have  kept  the  secret,  sparing  Judas  till  the  last 
moment,  but  he  whispered  back,  "  He  it  is  to  whom  I 
shall  give  a  sop,  when  I  have  dipped  it;"  and  he 
gave  it  to  Judas.     Two  now  knew  the  terrible  secret. 

7 


98  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

Jesus  had  relieved  his  heart  of  its  burden  by  making 
John  partaker  of  it. 

Judas  knew  that  John  knew  ;  and  this  may  be  why 
it  is  said  that,  after  the  sop,  Satan  entered  into  him. 
He  had  long  been  aware  that  Christ  knew  what  was 
going  on  in  his  mind,  but  he  could  keep  his  coun- 
tenance as  long  as  his  treachery  was  concealed  from 
his  fellow-disciples.  Now,  however,  when  Jesus  had 
told  John,  he  was  unmasked  ;  and  he  was  frantic.  He 
hated  Jesus  fortelHng;  he  hated  John  for  knowing;  and 
when,  immediately  afterwards,  he  received  the  oppor- 
tunity from  a  word  of  Christ  he  rushed  out  to  carry 
into  execution  his  diabolical  design. 

"  And  it  was  night,"  says  the  historian,  with  tragic 
brevity.  The  son  of  darkness  had  entered  his  own 
element  and  was  reeling  blindly  down  to  his  doom, 
while  within  the  chamber,  now  relieved  of  his  presence, 
all  darkness  vanished  away,  and  during  the  hours 
which  ensued  the  disciples  were  sitting  in  the  light 
eternal.  Of  St.  John  especially  may  this  be  said.  Are 
not  he  and  Judas  the  extreme  opposites  ?  The  same 
incident  which  drove  forth  Judas  to  his  fate  installed 
John  more  firmly  than  ever  in  the  confidence  and  af- 
fection of  his  Master. 


l-^ 


THE  DISCIPLE   WHO  LOVED   JESUS.  99 


XXVIIT» 

The  second  scene  in  which  the  love  of  St.  John 
was  displayed  was  immediately  after  the  arrest  of  the 
Lord. 

At  the  gate  of  Gethsemane,  when  Jesus  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  soldiers  sent  to  take  him,  all  the  dis- 
ciples forsook  him  and  fled.  This  may  be  a  general 
statement,  admitting  of  exceptions ;  just  as  the  fourth 
Gospel  says,  in  reference  to  the  words  in  which  Christ 
gave  Judas  his  dismissal,  "  No  man  at  the  table  knew 
for  what  intent  he  spoke  this  unto  him,"  although  it  is 
manifest  that  St.  John  knew.  In  the  same  way  this 
disciple  may  be  an  exception  to  the  statement  that  all 
forsook  their  Master  and  fled.  At  all  events,  if  St.  John  . 
fled,  his  desertion  must  have  been  of  the  briefest  pos- 
sible duration  ;  because  immediately  afterwards  he,  with 
St.  Peter  accompanying  him,  is  seen  following  the  pro- 
cession to  the  palace  of  the  high-priest ;  and  he  was  in 
time  to  pass  into  the  house,  in  the  rear  of  the  proces- 
sion, before  the  gate  was  shut. 

He  had  an  advantage  over  his  fellow-disciples 
which  served  him  in  good  stead  upon  this  occasion — 
he  was  known  to  the  high-priest.  In  what  way  this 
acquaintance  had  been  formed  we  have  no  information; 
conjecture  has,  however,  been  busy  to  fill  up  the  blank. 
Some  have  found  here  an  indication  that  the  apostle 
had  higher  family  connections  than  his  stadon  in  life 
would  naturally   suggest,   while  others    have  thought 


100        THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

that  he  may  have  been  known  to  the  high-priest 
through  his  business.  There  was  a  market  in  Jerusa- 
lem for  the  harvest  of  the  Sea  of  GaUlee  ;  and  there  is 
no  difficulty  in  beHeving  that  the  family  of  Zebedee,  or 
the  firm  to  which  they  belonged,  may  have  had  an 
agency  for  the  sale  of  their  property  in  the  capital. 
We  really  know  nothing  whatever  on  the  subject,  be- 
yond the  fact  stated  in  the  Gospel.  Apparently,  how- 
ever, John  knew  not  only  the  high-priest  but  his  ser- 
vants, and  he  was  acquainted  with  the  palace ;  and  his 
familiarity  in  the  place  served  as  a  passport,  admitting 
him  to  the  close  neighborhood  of  Christ,  where  he 
wished  to  be.  Had  he,  indeed,  been  more  timid  about 
his  own  safety  than  anxious  to  be  near  his  Master,  the 
fact  that  he  was  known  to  the  highrpriest  might  have 
operated  in  precisely  the  opposite  direction.  He  might 
have  been  afraid  of  being  recognized  as  a  follower  of 
Jesus ;  and  his  very  hesitation  might  have  led  to  the 
consequences  which  he  dreaded.  Boldness  in  a  critical 
situation  is  half  the  battle ;  and  love  made  John  bold. 

In  St.  Peter  we  see  the  working  of  the  opposite 
state  of  mind.  Perhaps  from  the  first  his  heart  was 
rather  with  those  who  fled  than  with  St.  John  ;  but  John 
constrained  him.  Some  hesitation  at  all  events  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact  that  he  was  shut  out  of  the  palace 
when  St.  John  was  shut  in.  But  the  more  loving  dis- 
ciple was  eager  to  keep  Peter  up  to  the  mark ;  and  so 
he  returned  to  the  gate  and  secured  his  admission. 
Thereby,  however,  he  unwittingly  did  his  friend  an 
injury.  He  was  forcing  on  him  an  effort  of  testimony 
for  which  he  was  not  prepared;  he  was   introducing 


THE   DISCIPLE  WHO    LOVED   JESUS.  lOI. 

him  to  a  temptation  which  was  too  strong  for  his  powers 
of  resistance;  and  the  result  was  disastrous. 

Then  was  made  manifest  how  far  St.  John  was 
ahead  of  St.  Peter.  He  probably  attended  the  trial 
throughout,  and  his  silent  presence  was  a  support  and 
comfort  to  Jesus,  while  Peter  was  showing  what  extra- 
ordinary elements  existed  in  him  under  the  covering 
of  his  Christian  discipleship— profanity,  falsehood  and 
selfish  fear. 

What  made  so  great  a  difference  ?  Of  two  friends 
ot  Alexander  the  Great  the  historian  Plutarch  calls  one 
Philo-Basileus,  that  is,  the  friend  of  the  king,  and  the 
other  Philo-Alexandros,  that  is,  the  friend  of  Alexan- 
der. Similarly  some  one  has  said  St.  Peter  was  Philo- 
Christos,  the  friend  of  the  Christ,  but  St.  John  was 
Philo-Jesus,  the  friend  of  Jesus.  This  touches  the 
quick:  Peter  was  attached  to  the  person  who  filled 
the  office  of  Messiah,  John  to  the  Person  himself  And 
this  is  a  distinction  which  marks  different  types  of 
Christian  piety  in  all  ages.  The  Christ  of  some  is  more 
official — the  Head  of  the  Church,  the  Founder  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  like  —  that  of  others  is  more  personal  ; 
but  it  is  the  personal  bond  which  holds  the  heart.  The 
most  profoundly  Christian  spirits  have  loved  the  Sav- 
iour, not  for  his  benefits,  but  for  himself  alone. 


102         THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM  JESUS  LOVED. 


XXIX. 

It  is  probable  that  St.  John  attended  Christ  through 
all  the  weary  stages  of  his  double  trial — before  the  ec- 
clesiastical and  the  civil  authorities— and  that,  after  a 
night  thus  spent,  he  accompanied  the  procession  in  the 
forenoon  to  the  place  of  execution  and  witnessed  every- 
thing that  followed.  At  all  events  in  the  afternoon 
"  there  stood  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother  and  his 
mother's  sister,  Mary  the  wife  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary 
Magdalene ;"  and  with  these  holy  women,  one  of  whom 
was  in  all  probability  his  own  mother,  stood  St.  John. 

Striking  it  is  that,  in  this  hour  of  peril,  when  the 
men  of  Christ's  following  were  conspicuous  only  by 
their  absence,  the  women  were  so  loyal  and  fearless  ; 
and  the  only  man  who  stood  with  them  was  the  most  "1 
womanly  spirit  in  the  apostolic  company.  But  there  is 
an  infinite  difference  between  the  feminine  and  the 
effeminate.  Woman  may  in  some  respects  be  weaker 
than  man,  but  she  is  stronger  in  love ;  and  it  was  in 
the  strength  of  his  love  that  John  was  like  a  woman, 
while  in  mind  and  character  he  was  a  thorough  man. 
The  women  may  have  been  protected  by  their  sex ;  he 
had  no  such  protection,  and  yet  he  was  there.  No 
doubt  in  the  service  of  Christ  all  kinds  of  power  are 
necessary,  and  the  masculine  virtues  have  a  part  of 
their  own  to  play  ;  but  for  the  supreme  efforts  of  sacri- 
fice and  devotion  which  Christianity  requires  it  must 
always  ultimately  depend  on  the  strength  of  love. 


THE   DISCIPLE   WHO  LOVED   JESUS.  I03 

Amid  the  howling  sea  of  evil  passions  with  which 
his  cross  was  encompassed  the  dying  eyes  of  the  Sav- 
iour rested  with  a  sense  of  profound  relief  on  this  little 
group  of  loyal  and  loving  hearts.  But  it  is  specially 
told  that  his  glances  rested  on  his  mother  and  his 
favorite  disciple.  These  were  the  two  dearest  souls  to 
him  on  earth,  and  his  eyes  lingered  on  them.  It  was 
not,  however,  with  unmixed  satisfaction  that  he  looked 
on  his  mother.  This  was  for  her  an  hour  of  unspeak- 
able pain.  It  was  not  only  that  she  was  losing  a  son, 
and  such  a  son,  but  her  faith  in  God  was  subjected 
to  a  terrible  strain.  The  event  of  her  life  had  been  the 
birth  of  him  who,  the  angel  had  told  her,  would  sit  on 
the  throne  of  his  father  David ;  but  here  he  was  expir- 
ing, and  this  promise  had  not  been  fulfilled !  Was  it 
a  He  ?  The  universe  was  swimming  round  her,  and  the 
sword  of  which  the  aged  Simeon  had  spoken  was  pierc- 
ing her  soul.  Besides,  humbler  anxieties  about  her 
troubled  her  son.  He  had  been  her  support ;  but 
where  would  she  now  find  a  home  ?  Who  would  now 
cheer  and  comfort  her?  Her  other  sons  were  still  un- 
believers. 

At  last  he  spoke.  Indicating  St.  John  with  his 
eye,  because  he  could  not  do  it  with  his  finger,  he  said 
to  Mary,  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son ;"  and,  indicating 
him  in  the  same  way  to  her,  he  said,  "  Behold  thy  mo- 
ther." 

Thus  he  gave  them  to  one  another,  as  mother  and 
son,  with  the  solemnity  with  which  in  marriage  hus- 
band and  wife  are  given  to  each  other,  or  as  a  dying 
person  may  sometimes  indicate  to  two,  standing  beside 


104        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM    JESUS   LOVED- 

the  bed,  that  they  ought  to  become  one.  They  were 
kindred  spirits  in  many  respects,  and  especially  they 
were  one  in  their  love  to  him.  To  none  could  Mary 
speak  so  freely  about  her  son  as  to  this  loving  disci- 
ple ;  from  no  one  else  could  John  learn  so  much  as 
from  her  about  Him  whom  to  know  is,  as  he  declares, 
hfe  eternal. 

To  Mary  this  was  a  splendid  gift.  It  assured  to 
her  a  home  for  the  rest  of  her  days  in  which  she 
would  breathe  the  same  peaceful  and  hallowed  air  as 
Jesus  had  breathed  into  the  home  at  Nazareth,  and  it 
gave  her  the  protection  of  a  Greatheart  to  stand  be- 
tween her  and  the  world.  To  St.  John  it  was  a  gift  no 
less  precious.  Mary,  on  her  own  account,  would  have 
been  an  adornment  to  any  home  ;  but,  even  if  her  pres- 
ence had  involved  inconvenience,  she  would  still  have 
been  thrice  welcome  to  him  as  the  mother  of  his  di- 
■  vine  Friend.  Friend  ?  Je.sus  had  called  his  own  mo- 
ther "  thy  mother ;"  was  not  this  to  adopt  him  as  a 
brother  ?  This  was  a  supreme  honor  :  and  all  the  trou-. 
ble  which  it  might  involve  was  light  to  a  heart  which 
loved  with  such  fervor  as  his. 


THE   DISCIPLE  WHO   LOVED  JESUS.  I05 


XXX. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  at  once  St.  John  gen- 
tly removed  Mary  from  the  scene  of  suffering  and  took 
her  to  his  house  in  the  city,  which  was  thenceforth  to 
be  her  home ;  and  there,  it  is  said,  he  cherished  her 
for  twelve  years,  refusing  to  leave  Jerusalem,  even  for 
the  purpose  of  preaching  the  gospel,  till  she  died.  But 
after  he  had  safely  deposited  his  precious  charge  in  his 
home  he  hurried  back  to  Calvary.  By  this  time  all 
was  over.  The  execution  was  finished  and  the  crowd 
had  dispersed.  Only  a  few  soldiers  were  left,  watching 
the  bodies.  St.  John  again,  however,  resumed  his 
station  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  of  his  beloved  Master. 

His  fidelity  was  rewarded  with  a  sight  which  pro- 
foundly impressed  him,  and  which  he  has  recorded 
with  unusual  solemnity.  After  narrating  the  incident 
he  adds,  "And  he  that  saw  it  bare  record,  and  his 
record  is  true ;  and  he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that 
ye  might  believe." 

In  Deuteronomy  there  is  a  law  to  this  effect:  "If 
a  man  have  committed  a  sin  worthy  of  death,  and  he 
be  put  to  death,  and  thou  hang  him  on  a  tree,  his  body 
shall  not  remain  all  night  upon  the  tree,  but  thou  shalt 
in  any  wise  bury  him  that  day  (for  he  that  is  hanged 
is  accursed  of  God)  ;  that  thy  land  be  not  defiled 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee  for  an  inherit- 
ance." Perhaps  this  rule  was  not  always  observed, 
and  the  Jews  might  be  careless  about  it  when  execu- 


I06         THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JP^SUS  LOVED. 

tions  in  their  country  were  carried  out  not  by  them- 
selves but  by  the  Romans.  But  the  death  of  Jesus 
happened  at  a  season  when  they  were  particularly 
scrupulous  about  anything  which  might  defile,  especial- 
ly in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Holy  City.  It  was  the 
Passover,  and  they  besought  the  governor  to  have  the 
bodies  taken  down  and  buried  before  sunset.  Before 
this  could  be  done,  however,  it  was  necessary  that  they 
should  be  dead ;  and  crucified  persons  did  not  die  so 
quickly.  The  Jews  asked,  therefore,  that  the  life  of 
the  three  crucified  men  should  be  extinguished  by 
breaking  their  legs  with  clubs ;  and  the  governor  con- 
sented that  this  should  be  done.  When,  however,  the 
soldiers  came  to  Jesus  they  perceived  that  he  was  dead 
already;  so  that  they  did  not  break  his  legs.  But, 
by  way  of  making  assurance  doubly  sure,  one  of  the 
soldiers  plunged  his  spear  into  his  side,  whereupon 
there  flowed  out  blood  and  water. 

Such  was  the  sight  which  so  impressed  the  apos- 
tolic onlooker.  But  what  was  it  which  made  it  appear 
to  him  remarkable  ? 

He  recalled  a  word  of  the  Old  Testament  which 
said,  "  A  bone  of  Him  shall  not  be  broken."  Origi- 
nally it  referred  to  the  paschal  lamb ;  and  to  St.  John 
the  dead  Saviour  was  thus  pointed  out  as  the  true 
Paschal  Lamb,  whose  sacrifice  should  inagurate  a  new 
dispensation  of  grace  and  truth,  as  the  original  paschal 
lamb  inaugurated  the  dispensation  of  the  Law.  Also 
he  recalled  another  Old  Testament  word,  which  said, 
"  They  shall  look  upon  Him  whom  they  have  pierced  ;" 
and  there  seemed  to  him  to  be  a  divine  purpose  guid- 


THE   DISCIPLE  WHO  LOVED   JESUS.  10/ 

ing  even  the  hand  of  the  rude  soldier,  when,  totally 
without  his  own  will  and  knowledge,  he  brought  the 
mode  of  Christ's  death  into  line  with  Old  Testament 

prophecy. 

But  the  mystery  did  not  stop  here.  Probably  St. 
John  was  aware  that  from  a  dead  body,  if  it  is  pierced, 
there  is,  as  a  rule,  no  outflow ;  but  in  this  case  there 
flowed  out  blood  and  water.  It  was  a  mystery ;  but 
in  it  there  seemed  to  be  a  symbol  of  much  that  Christ 
had  taught  about  himself.  The  cleansing  of  the  world 
from  sin  had  been  the  purpose  of  his  hfe ;  and  he  had 
spoken  of  the  cleansing  power  of  water  and  the  cleans- 
ing power  of  blood.  The  two  sacraments  which  he 
instituted  referred  respectively  to  these  two  elements. 
The  dead  body  of  Christ  appeared  to  be  a  double 
fountain,  out  of  which  was  issuing  what  was  required 
for  the  purification  of  the  world. 

Modern  medicine,  however,  believes  that  it  sees 
in  the  phenomenon  which  St.  John  has  reported  a 
significance  which  even  he  did  not  perceive.  Great 
medical  authorities  allege  that  the  stream  of  blood 
and  water  shows  that  the  heart  of  Christ  had  ruptured 
at  his  death  and  the  blood  poured  into  an  enclosing 
sac,  where  it  would  naturally  resolve  into  its  elements — 
one  red  like  blood  and  the  other  white  like  water— and 
that  it  was  this  sac  which  the  spear  emptied.  So  that 
the  Saviour  literally  died  of  a  broken  heart.  The 
pressure  of  grief,  the  pressure  of  the  burden  of  sin 
which  he  was  bearing,  so  overcharged  his  heart  that 
it  could  no  longer  contain;  and,  when  it  broke,  he 
died. 


I08        THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

However  this  may  be,  St.  John  was  amply  re- 
warded for  his  vigil  of  love.  Love  kept  him  near 
Christ  living  and  dying;  and  to  be  near  Christ  is  to 
be  in  the  place  of  discovery.  We  are  reminded  how 
much  we  owe  to  St.  John  for  his^  faithful  love  as  often 
as  we  sing, 

"  Let  the  water  and  the  blood 
From  thy  riven  side  which  flowed  .  !- 

Be  of  sill  the  double  cure: 
Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power. " 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         IO9 


ST.  JOHN  AND  THE  RESURRECTION. 


XXX. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to  realize  the  dismay  with 
which  the  death  and  burial  of  Jesus  affected  his  follow- 
ers. When  we  see  him  breathing  his  last,  and  the 
stone  rolled  to  the  door  of  his  sepulchre,  we  are  not 
afraid ;  for  we  know  what  is  going  to  happen — that  on 
the  third  day  he  is  to  rise  again.  At  the  time,  how- 
ever, none  knew  this. 

His  enemies  had,  indeed,  heard  of  his  prophecies 
to  this  effect,  but  ot  course  they  did  not  believe  them  ; 
and  when  they  saw  the  spear  thrust  into  his  side  they 
thought  that  all  was  over  with  him  and  his  cause :  he 
would  never  trouble  them  any  more.  His  whole  career 
appeared  to  them  ridiculous.  He  had  been  a  candi- 
date for  the  grand  office  of  the  Messiah,  whom  the  na- 
tion was  expecting.  There  had,  however,  been  other 
candidates  before  him,  whose  attempts  had  come  to 
nothing;  and  his  pretensions  were  perhaps  the  least 
considerable  of  all.  The  Messiah  whom  they  looked 
for  was  to  be  a  prophet,  a  priest  and  a  king  in  one,  but 
most  of  all  a  king ;  to  Hberate  them  from  bondage  and 
lift  up  the  country  into  everlasting  power  and  renown. 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  had,  in  their  eyes,  utterly  failed  to 
fulfil  this  ideal.  He  was  of  lowly  birth,  and  his  follow- 
ers were  few  and  humble  like  himself;  he  made  a  repu- 


no        THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

tation  for  a  time  in  the  provinces,  but  never  had  aroused 
the  enthusiasm  of  Jerusalem ;  at  last,  coming  into  col- 
lision with  the  authorities  of  the  nation,  he  had  gone 
down  without  a  single  blow  being  struck  on  his  be- 
half. His  name  was  only  one  more  added  to  the  list  of 
fictitious  messiahs. 

Not  only,  however,  did  his  enemies  judge  thus ; 
the  faith  even  of  his  friends  was  completely  shattered. 
It  is  true,  he  had  told  them  repeatedly  beforehand  that 
he  was  to  die  and  the  third  day  rise  again.  But  these 
statements  had  made  no  impression  on  their  minds  and 
were  no  comfort  to  them  when  the  crisis  arrived:  if 
they  noticed  them  at  all,  they  thought  that  their  Mas- 
ter was  speaking  in  parables,  and  they  understood  his 
words  in  a  figurative  sense.  To  the  very  last  they  be- 
lieved that  he  was  to  be  a  great  king,  reigning  over 
the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever ;  and  when  his  death  ren- 
dered this  impossible  their  faith  was  killed  outright. 

If  it  survived  at  all,  it  was  in  the  form  of  love. 
They  sdll  loved  him.  They  might,  indeed,  have  felt 
that  they  had  been  deceived,  and  this  feeling  might 
have  made  them  turn  with  resentment  upon  the  mem- 
ory of  their  buried  Master ;  but,  with  the  exception  of 
Judas,  they  had  been  too  completely  captivated,  and 
their  hearts  could  not  quickly  cool  towards  One  whom 
they  had  so  many  reasons  for  loving. 

In  Mary  Magdalene  we  see  this  triumph  of  love 
over  the  disenchantment  of  events.  In  tradiUon  this 
woman  is  identified  not  only  with  the  woman  who  was 
a  sinner  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  but  also  with 
Mary  the  sister  of  Martha  and  Lazarus ;    so  that  the 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         Ill 

traditional  image  of  her  is  exceedingly  rich  and  affect- 
ing. In  reality  she  is  identical  neither  with  the  one  of 
these  nor  the  other ;  and  what  we  know  of  her  is  but 
limited.  Seven  devils  went  out  of  her  at  the  command 
of  Jesus ;  so  that  she  had  ample  ground  for  deathless 
gratitude  to  him.  Apparently  she  was  a  lady  of  piop- 
erty  ;  for  she,  along  with  other  honorable  women,  min- 
istered of  her  substance  to  Jesus.  The  position  assigned 
her  among  these  women  perhaps  suggests  that  the 
place  which  she  held  in  his  affection  and  confidence  was 
distinguished ;  and  this  is  still  more  forcibly  suggested 
by  the  interview  accorded  to  her  alone  by  the  risen 
Saviour.  At  all  events  we  may  infer  the  fervor  of  her 
love  from  the  fact  that,  after  the  Sabbath  was  past,  she 
set  out  for  the  tomb  before  the  break  of  day. 

But  for  what  was  she  going  to  the  sepulchre  ? 
Not  to  see  if  he  had  fulfilled  his  prophecy  that  he 
would  rise  again,  but  to  help  to  anoint  his  corpse  for 
its  long  sleep.  When  she  arrived  at  the  sepulchre  she 
saw  the  stone  rolled  away ;  but  what  did  this  suggest 
to  her  ?  Not  that  he  was  risen  ;  of  this  she  had  not  the 
most  distant  surmise  ;  but  that  a  horrible  outrage  had 
been  perpetrated  on  the  feelings  of  all  who  loved  him  : 
as  she  expressed  it,  "  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord, 
and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  him." 

That  her  state  of  mind  was  that  of  all  the  rest  of 
the  followers  of  Jesus — an  absolute  blank,  as  far  as  any 
thought  or  hope  of  his  rising  was  concerned — is  amply 
proved.  When  the  holy  women  to  whom  the  risen 
One  had  shown  himself  returned  to  their  fellows,  "  their 
words  seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and  they  believed 


112         THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

them  not."  The  report  of  the  two  to  whom  he  ap- 
peared on  the  way  to  Emmaus  met  with  a  similar  re- 
ception; and  what  could  more  significantly  indicate 
the  general  state  of  mind  than  the  pathetic  words  of 
those  two  themselves  before  he  was  made  known  to 
them :  "  We  trusted  that  it  had  been  he  who  should 
have  redeemed  Israel."  Thomas'  determination  not  to 
believe  is  well  known ;  and  even  of  the  five  hundred 
to  whom  the  Lord  showed  himself  in  Galilee  "  some 
doubted."  In  short,  the  universal  behef  among  his  fol- 
lowers, when  he  was  lying  in  Joseph's  tomb,  was,  that 
his  career  was  over  and  his  enterprise  at  an  end. 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION. 


XXXI. 

There  are  few  things  which  move  human  beings 
more  than  the  suspicion  that  there  has  taken  place  any 
tampering  with  the  remains  of  their  dead.  An  entire 
community  can  be  convulsed  with  indignation  at  the 
mere  rumor  that  a  grave  has  been  disturbed.  Mary 
Magdalene  was  under  the  impression  that  the  tomb  of 
her  beloved  Lord  had  been  rifled ;  and  it  was  in  a 
tumult  of  grief  and  indignation  that  she  ran  to  bring 
word  to  the  disciples. 

She  directed  her  steps  to  Peter  and  John ;  and 
soon  she  had  them  in  earnest  consultation  on  the  sub- 
ject. Whether  Peter's  denial  of  his  Lord  was  known 
to  Mary  Magdalene  or  not,  we  cannot  tell ;  but  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  known  to  John,  who  was 
in  the  palace  of  the  high-priest  at  the  time  when  it 
took  place.  But  this  knowledge  did  not  prevent  John 
from  meeting  his  comrade  on  the  old  terms.  Possibly 
Peter,  after  weeping  bitterly  by  himself,  had  sobbed 
out  his  contrition  on  the  bosom  of  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved ;  and  John's  forgiveness  may  have  been  to 
him  a  confirmation  of  the  forgiveness  of  the  Lord. 

Mary  Magdalene's  communication  awoke  in  the 
two  apostles  a  tumult  of  emotion  as  great  as  her  own : 
they  thought  that  the  enemies  of  their  Master,  not  con- 
tent with  the  shame  and  injustice  wreaked  on  him  dur- 
ing his  trial  and  crucifixion,  had,  in  anger  that  he  should 
have  been  laid  by  loving  hands  in  an  honorable  grave, 

S 


114        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

perpetrated  on  his  corpse  some  new  indignity ;  and 
they  immediately  set  out  to  the  spot  to  ascertain  what 
had  taken  place.  As  they  went,  so  hot  were  their  hearts 
within  them  that  they  began  to  run ;  and  soon  they 
were  running  at  full  speed.  There  are  moments  in  life 
when  decorum  is  thrown  to  the  winds,  and  everything 
is  cast  aside  which  stands  in  the  way  of  an  overmaster- 
ing purpose.  It  shows  how  wild  was  the  grief  of  the 
apostles,  that  they  thus  flew  to  their  object. 

In  this  crisis,  when  nature  had  her  way  with  them, 
the  characteristic  differences  between  the  two  men 
showed  themselves.  The  **  other  disciple  did  outrun 
Peter  and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre."  Why  was  this  ? 
It  has  been  conjectured  that  it  was  because  Peter  was 
older :  John  had  the  lightness  and  fleetness  of  youth. 
Or  it  has  been  thought  that  Peter  was  delayed  by  his 
penitence,  the  memory  of  his  denial  clogging  his  feet 
like  a  weight  of  lead.  This  motive  would  only  have 
acted,  however,  had  he  thought  that  he  was  on  his  way 
to  a  meeting  with  Jesus,  and  there  is  not  the  slightest 
reason  for  thinking  that  any  such  expectation  had 
crossed  his  mind.  It  was  because  John  was  the  disciple 
of  love  that  he  arrived  first  at  the  sepulchre ;  for  love 
lends  wings,  and  its  tension  gave  John  the  advantage. 

At  the  sepulchre,  however,  Peter's  temperament 
gave  him  the  advantage.  John,  though  he  arrived  first, 
remained  outside.  The  stone  was  rolled  away,  but  awe 
arrested  him  at  the  threshold ;  and  all  he  ventured  to 
do  was,  with  hand  over  eyes,  to  gaze  into  the  obscu- 
rity ;  and  from  this  standpoint  he  could  not  see  all  that 
required  to  be  seen  in  order  to  learn  the  true  state  of 


ST.    JOHN  AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         II5 

the  case.  Like  Mary  Magdalene,  he  saw  in  the  rocky 
opening  the  sign  of  a  deed  of  darkness,  instead  of  the 
passage  through  which  hope  was  about  to  break.  But 
Peter,  when  he  arrived,  at  once  went  in  and  encouraged 
John  to  follow.  This  was  like  the  practical  spirit  of  the 
man,  who  was  not  impeded  with  the  finer  sensibilities 
of  his  comrade;  and  on  this  occasion,  at  least,  such 
boldness  was  what  was  required. 

In  the  spiritual  life,  as  in  the  natural,  ghosts  are  fre- 
quently laid  by  boldly  advancing  on  them.  Only  enter 
what  looks  like  the  yawning  mouth  of  calamity,  and 
you  may  find  yourself  in  the  sunshine  of  glorious  dis- 
covery. Many  a  one,  for  example,  is  trembling  before 
the  spectre  of  religious  doubt  who,  if  he  would  only 
go  forward,  determined  to  find  out  exactly  how  much 
is  in  the  objections  which  he  fears,  would  discover  that 
they  melt  away  when  closely  examined,  and  in  the  very 
place  haunted  by  them  he  would  find  the  strongest 
confirmation  of  faith.  Is  not  death  to  many  all  their 
lifetime  Hke  a  gloomy  opening  into  the  unknown,  be- 
fore which  they  fear  and  quake  ?  Yet  if  they  would 
boldly  examine  the  reasons  why  they  fear,  and  the  rea- 
sons which  a  Christian  has  for  despising  death,  or  even 
glorying  in  it,  they  might  be  emancipated  from  their 
bondage  and  enabled  to  serve  the  Lord  with  gladness 
and  singleness  of  heart. 

Let  us  take  John  for  our  instructor  in  the  swiftness 
of  love,  and  Peter  for  our  teacher  in  courage. 


Il6         THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 


XXXII, 

So  the  two  apostles  stood  inside  the  sepulchre. 
An  ancient  tomb  was  a  spacious  place,  in  which  it  was 
possible  to  stand  erect  and  to  move  about ;  and,  when 
their  eyes  had  become  accustomed  to  the  obscurity,  or 
they  had  placed  themselves  in  a  position  to  obtain  the 
help  of  the  light  streaming  in  through  the  open  door- 
way, they  saw  v/hat  astonished  them. 

The  body,  indeed,  was  not  there  ;  but  objects  pre- 
sented themselves  to  view  which  at  once  exploded  the 
hypothesis  to  account  for  its  absence  which  Mary  Mag- 
dalene had  suggested,  and  with  which  their  minds  had 
been  preoccupied  as  they  ran  to  the  sepulchre.  The 
grave-clothes  were  lying  where  the  body  had  been. 
Why  should  these  have  been  left  behind  if  the  body 
had  been  stolen  ?  If  in  wanton  rage  his  enemies  had 
stripped  them  off  there  would  have  been  evidence  of 
violence  in  their  torn  and  disarrayed  condition.  But 
the  reverse  was  the  state  of  the  case.  The  clothes  were 
lying  in  perfect  order,  as  if  they  had  been  put  off  in  a 
leisurely  and  orderly  way  by  him  who  had  worn  them. 
And  their  attention  was  particularly  arrested  by  a  fact 
trivial  in  itself,  but  in  the  circumstances  most  signifi- 
cant :  they  espied  the  napkin  with  which  the  head  of 
the  dead  was  wont  to  be  bound  not  lying  with  the  rest 
of  the  grave-clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in  a  place 
by  itself. 

In  what  garments  the  risen  humanity  of  our  Lofd 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         WJ 

was  invested  when  he  appeared  from  time  to  time  dur- 
ing the  forty  days  we  are  not  informed,  nor  need  we 
inquire ;  but  obviously  it  v/ould  have  been  most  unbe- 
coming that  he  should  have  continued  to  wear  the  vest- 
ments of  a  dead  man.  Accordingly,  before  he  left  the 
tomb  he  divested  himself  of  these.  And  is  there  not 
something  which  we  feel  to  be  worthy  of  him,  though 
we  can  hardly  tell  why,  in  this  little  touch  :  that  he 
folded  up  the  napkin,  in  which  his  face  had  been  en- 
veloped by  loving  hands,  and  laid  it  carefully  aside  ? 

In  this  and  in  the  other  features  of  the  scene  St. 
John,  with  the  quick  discernment  of  love,  recognized 
the  handwriting  of  his  Master ;  and  there  and  then  the 
truth  flashed  through  him — "  he  saw  and  believed." 
This  statement  appears  to  assign  him  again  a  priority 
over  his  companion,  whom  perhaps  he  had  to  instruct 
in  the  significance  of  the  phenomena  at  which  they 
were  looking. 

This  was  the  most  revolutionary  moment  of  their 
lives,  though  both  of  them  experienced  other  moments, 
both  before  and  after,  of  vast  importance.  There, 
standing  alone  in  the  tomb  in  the  morning  light,  they 
saw  the  glory  of  their  Master  as  they  had  not  seen  it 
even  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration ;  and  they  saw,  in 
a  flash,  the  course  of  their  own  future  history.  The 
disappointment  and  despair  of  Christ's  death  were 
transmuted,  in  a  moment,  into  unspeakable  joy :  for 
they  saw  that  their  Master  had  not  deceived  them  ;  that 
his  death  was  not  defeat,  but  a  step  in  his  triumph ; 
and  that  his  cause  was  not  at  an  end,  but  only  begin- 
ning.    They  recalled  his  sayings  about  his  rising  again 


n8        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM  JESUS   LOVED. 

the  third  day  and  wondered  how  they  could  have  for- 
gotten or  misinterpreted  them — perhaps  also  they  be- 
gan to  recall  some  words  of  the  Old  Testament  scrip- 
tures which  they  were  afterwards  to  quote,  with  telling 
effect,  in  reference  to  his  resurrection ;  for  St.  John 
expressly  says  that  till  this  revolutionary  moment  they 
knew  not  the  Scripture,  that  he  should  rise  from  the 
dead. 

In  great  crises  of  experience  the  mind  is  preternatu- 
rally  active  and  into  minutes  can  crowd  the  thinking  of 
years.  Of  course  afterwards  these  thoughts  were  to  be 
far  more  fully  cleared  and  developed  ;  the  apostles  were 
also  to  receive  far  more  convincing  evidence  of  the 
Lord's  resurrection  than  the  aspect  of  his  empty  tomb ; 
yet  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  before  they  passed 
out  of  that  rocky  door,  which,  as  they  approached  it, 
had  struck  into  their  hearts  such  cold  and  deadly 
terror,  they  were  changed  into  new  men,  and  had  re- 
ceived into  their  souls  the  seeds  of  all  which  they  sub- 
sequently achieved. 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         II9 


XXXIII. 

Such  was  the  power  of  the  resurrection  over  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  the  apostles.  And  it  still  has  the 
same  power,  when  it  is.  properly  realized.  There  is 
perhaps  no  other  point  in  the  whole  circle  of  Christian 
truth  to  which  in  times  of  intellectual  darkness  inquir- 
ing spirits  may  so  hopefully  turn. 

If  Christ  rose  from  the  dead,  then  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  scheme  of  Christianity  as  a  whole  is  true. 
What  confirmation,  for  example,  does  the  resurrection 
lend  to  the  miracles  of  Christ!  This  is  the  greatest 
miracle ;  and,  if  it  happened,  any  of  the  rest  may  have 
happened.  What  a  reality  it  imparts,  too,  to  the  world 
invisible,  and  to  the  life  to  come  !  If  Christ  rose,  to 
begin  a  new  stage  of  existence  in  another  region  of  the 
universe,  then  heaven  is  not  a  dream,  or  a  land  of 
shadows,  but  actual  as  this  earth  on  which  we  tread, 
and  all  that  the  Bible  says  about  immortality  receives 
the  strongest  confirmation. 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  is,  it  is  true,  a  stupen- 
dous event,  only  to  be  credited  on  the  most  stringent 
evidence.  But  in  both  quantity  and  quality  the  proof 
is  overwhelming. 

First,  there  is  the  testimony  of  those  by  whom  he 
was  seen  alive  after  his  passion.  It  is  thus  summarized 
by  St.  Paul :  "  He  rose  again  the  third  day  according  to 
the  Scriptures ;  and  he  was  seen  of  Cephas ;  then  of 
the  Twelve ;  after  that  he  was  seen  of  above  five  hun- 


120        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

dred  brethren  at  once,  of  whom  the  greater  part  remain 
unto  this  present,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep ;  after  that 
he  was  seen  of  James  ;  then  of  all  the  apostles  ;  and,  last 
of  all,  he  was  seen  of  me  also,  as  of  one  born  out  of  due 
time."  The  detailed  records  of  the  Evangelists  are  still 
more  im.pressive ;  and  the  character  of  the  witnesses  is 
for  truthfulness  above  suspicion.  What  is  said  by  those 
who  disbelieve  their  testimony  is  that  they  were  in  an 
excited  state  of  mind,  and  anxious  to  believe,  and  that 
their  hopes  created  the  appearances  which  they  thought 
they  saw.  Nothing,  however,  is  more  remarkable  in  all 
the  accounts  than  the  evidence  that  they  had  no  expec- 
tation whatever  that  he  was  to  rise.  Is  it  not  manifest 
that  Mary  Magdalene,  Peter  and  John  had  their  minds 
preoccupied  with  a  theory  totally  opposed  to  resur- 
rection ?  Others,  even  after  they  were  informed  that 
he  had  risen,  were  thoroughly  skeptical.  Instead  of 
being  ready  to  be  imposed  upon  by  any  suggestion  of 
the  fancy,  they  were  in  a  state  of  mind  to  resist  any 
evidence,  however  strong.  Besides,  what  kind  of  fanci- 
ful appearance  could  have  simultaneously  imposed  upon 
so  many  different  persons  in  so  many  different  places 
and  circumstances?  In  their  desperation  to  account 
for  the  facts  some  of  the  more  devout  believers  in  the 
literal  truth  of  the  resurrection  have  actually  resorted 
to  the  notion  that  God  allowed  a  kind  of  ghostly  image 
of  Jesus  to  appear  to  the  different  persons  concerned ; 
but  surely  this  is  more  difficult  to  believe  than  the  res- 
urrection itself. 

The  mere  testimony  of  those  who  saw  the  risen 
One  is  not,  however,  all  the    proof.      When,   immedi- 


ST.   JOHN   AND   THE   RESURRECTION.         121 

ateiy  after  the  ascension,  Christianity  began  to  run  its 
victorious  course  amidst  the  influences  of  Pentecost,  the 
central  theme  of  apostolic  testimony  was  the  resurrec- 
tion ;  and  the  scene  of  the  earliest  preaching  was  Jeru- 
salem. What  Peter  and  his  companions  told  the  Jeru- 
salemites  was,  that  he  whom  they  had  condemned  as 
a  blasphemer  and  hanged  on  a  tree  had  been  raised  up 
by  God,  who,  by  so  exalting  him,  had  placed  on  his 
claims  the  seal  of  heaven.  This  testimony  brought  the 
apostles  into  collision  with  the  ecclesiastical  authorities, 
who  were  concerned  to  repel  the  heresy  which  so  dis- 
credited themselves.  If  Jesus  had  not  risen,  how  easy 
it  would  have  been  to  confute  the  preachers.  The 
grave  in  which  he  had  been  laid  was  at  hand  ;  had  the 
Jewish  authorities  been  able  to  open  the  sepulchre,  and 
show  the  body  lying  there,  the  apostles  would  have 
been  silenced  effectually  and  forever.  Why  did  the 
authorities  not  do  so?  It  will  not  now  be  said  that 
the  disciples  had  stolen  the  body. 

The  strongest  proof  of  all,  however,  has  yet  to  be 
mentioned.  Convincing  as  the  testimony  of  the  apostles 
is,  it  is  nothing  at  all  compared  with  the  evidence  of 
their  conduct.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that,  when 
the  Master  expired  and  was  put  beneath  the  ground, 
the  minds  of  his  followers  were  in  the  lowest  depths 
of  depression  and  despair.  They  had  been  disap- 
pointed, if  not  deceived ;  the  cause  to  which  they  had 
attached  themselves  had  failed ;  and  now  all  was  over. 
They  were  without  a  head  or  a  plan ;  and  nothing  re- 
mained for  them  but  to  return  to  their  lowly  occupations 
disillusioned  and  discredited  men.     Yet,  a  few  weeks 


122         THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

thereafter,  they  were  before  the  pubHc,  full  of  convic- 
tion and  enthusiasm,  declaring  that  Christianity  was  not 
ended,  but  only  beginning.  What  had  wrought  this 
change?  It  may  be  said,  they  were  committed  to 
Christianity,  and  could  not  forego  the  ambitions  so  long 
cherished  in  connection  with  it  or  return  to  their  unex- 
citing pursuits.  The  remarkable  thing,  however,  is, 
that  they  were  not  now  pursuing  earthly  ambitions ; 
they  knew  they  were  not  to  gain  the  world,  but  suffer 
its  enmity  and  opposition ;  and  in  point  of  fact  they 
went  cheerfully  to  prison  and  to  death.  They  were 
transfigured  men ;  no  longer  ignorant  and  vacillating, 
but  wise,  spiritual  and  determined.  What  had  wrought 
this  change  ?  They  say  themselves  that  it  was  the  res- 
urrection ;  and  what  else  could  have  done  it?  This 
resurrection  of  Christianity  is  a  miracle  in  some  re- 
spects more  remarkable  than  even  the  resurrection  oi 
Christ;  and  nothing  but  Christ's  resurrection  can  ac- 
count for  it. 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME   AGAIN.  123 


ST.  JOHN  AT  HOME  AGAIN, 


XXXIV. 


St.  John  shared  with  the  other  apostles  the  priv- 
ilege of  seeing  several  of  the  appearances  of  the  risen 
Lord  during  the  forty  days ;  but  in  one  of  them  he 
played  a  conspicuous  part.  This  took  place  at  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  and  the  scene  is  described  with  great 
fulness  in  the  last  chapter  of  his  own  gospel. 

There  hangs  over  this  story  an  air  of  mystery. 
Indeed,  some  of  the  details  have,  at  first  sight,  the 
appearance  of  irrelevance,  if  not  mystification.  This, 
however,  is  no  rare  occurrence  in  this  gospel.  One  of 
the  peculiarities  of  St.  John  as  a  writer  is  that  now  and 
then  he  puts  down,  with  an  air  of  simplicity,  sentences 
which  appear  to  have  nothing  in  them  at  all,  or  at  all 
events  nothing  relevant  to  the  occasion.  But,  as  the 
reader,  after  repeated  trials,  is  turning  away  in  disap- 
pointment and,  perhaps,  a  kind  of  resentment,  sudden- 
ly, from  a  sharp  angle  of  vision,  something  flashes  out 
on  him  and,  turning  back,  he  discovers  it  to  be  a  clue 
by  which  he  is  guided  into  spacious  treasuries  of  truth, 
where  the  difficulty  is  not  that  there  is  no  meaning, 
but  that  the  meaning  is  too  manifold. 

In  the  present  case  the  key  seems  to  lie  in  the 
word   "showed,"   v/hich  occurs  twice  in  the  opening 


124        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

verse — "After  these  things  Jesus  showed  himself  again 
to  the  disciples  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias;  and  on  this 
wise  showed  he  himself"  In  Greek  this  is  a  striking 
word,  and  apparently  conveys  more  than  that  he  made 
himself  visible :  it  means  that  he  made  a  fresh  revela- 
tion of  himself  to  them,  showing  himself  in  a  new  light 
or  in  a  new  character.  They  saw  on  this  occasion  in 
their  risen  Lord  traits  which  were  pecuHarly  fascinating 
and  impressive. 

One  of  these  was  a  trait  of  tender  humanity — his 
attachment  to  the  scenes  of  his  earthly  experiences. 

The  disciples  had  themselves  returned  to  Galilee 
from  the  south  with  a  delightful  sense  of  coming  home. 
Probably  to  their  provincial  minds  Jerusalem  had 
always  been  formidable.  Its  pride  repelled  them,  its 
Sadducean  coldness  and  Pharisaic  formalism  chilled 
them  to  the  bone.  During  their  last  visit  this  repulsion 
had  reached  a  climax,  for  their  feelings  had  been  put 
under  an  excessive  strain,  and  their  days  and  nights 
had  passed  in  excitement  and  horror.  At  last,  indeed, 
a  great  light  had  burst  forth  upon  them  in  the  re- 
surrection of  their  Lord ;  but  as  yet  it  was  a  light 
which  dazzled  even  more  than  it  cheered ;  and  their 
hearts  craved  for  solitude,  that  they  might  collect 
themselves  and  consider  what  was  the  drift  of  their 
strange  experiences.  Now  they  were  back  in  Galilee 
and  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  the  scene  of 
their  accustomed  adventures  in  former  days.  There 
were  the  mountains  and  the  blue  waters ;  there  were 
the  boats  and  nets  of  their  relatives,  which  had  once 
been  their  own ;  the  old  feelings  suddenly  awoke  in 


ST.    JOHN   AT    HOME   AGAIN.  12$ 

them,  and  when  Peter,  who  felt  these  most  keenly,  said, 
"I  go  a-fishing,"  they  were  all  ready  to  chime  in,  "  We 
also  go  with  thee."  Soon  they  were  afloat,  with  the 
sails  throbbing  above  their  heads,  the  water  rushing  be- 
neath the  keel,  and  the  fresh  breeze  blowing  all  doubts 
away  out  of  their  brains. 

But  Jesus  had  pi-eceded  them  to  Galilee.     So  the 
angel  told  the  holy  women  at  the  sepulchre  —  '*  Go 
your  way,  tell  his  disciples  and    Peter  that  he  goeth 
before  you  into  Galilee."     This  no  doubt  was  pardy  due 
to  the  fact  that  a  majority  of  his  adherents  belonged 
to  the  northern  province  and  he  intended  to  show  him- 
self to  them  alive,  as  he  subsequently  did  on  the  moun- 
tain where  he  had  appointed  them.     But  there  was  an- 
other reason.     In  some  respects  the  risen  Christ  was 
altered ;    the  form  of  his   humanity  and    the  mode  of 
his  movements   from  place  to  place  are  enveloped  in 
mystery.     But  one  exceedingly  human  trait  appears  to 
be  unmistakable :    he  displayed  a  marked  predilection 
for  the  spots  which  had  been  the  scenes  of  his  former 
activity.     To  him  Jerusalem  had  been  intensely  dear, 
whatever  it  was  to  the  disciples,  and  he  lingered  in  it, 
instructing  the  aposdes  at  the  very  last  to  begin  the 
evangelization    of  the    world  there.      Bethany,   where 
Mary,  Martha  and  Lazarus  lived,  had  been  to  him  r.n 
earthly  home,  and  he  led  out  his  disciples  at  the  last 
as  far  as  Bethany,  and  there  he  took  his  parting  look 
of  the  world.     But  Galilee  seems  to  have  been  the  chief 
scene  of  his  forty  days'  sojourn.     It  was  the  country 
of  his  childhood  and  youth ;  and  in  it  had  been  achieved 
his  earthly  successes.      The  Sea  of  Galilee  especially 


126        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

had  been  the  centre  of  his  ministry.  There  he  had 
called  his  disciples ;  he  had  preached  out  of  the  boat  on 
its  shore ;  he  had  moved  backwards  and  forwards  from 
one  side  to  another  on  his  journeys ;  on  its  surface  he 
had  walked  to  the  rescue  of  his  disciples  by  night ;  with- 
in sight  of  it  he  had  been  followed  by  enthusiastic  and 
thankful  multitudes.  Long  it  had  been  the  focus  of  his 
thoughts  and  feelings ;  and  now  it  draws  him  back. 

This  shows  how  human  he  was  even  in  his  resur- 
rected state  ;  and  it  brings  him  near  to  us.  This  cling- 
ing to  the  past  is  characteristic  of  human  nature;  how- 
ever far  we  may  wander,  our  hearts  turn  fondly  to  the 
scenes  of  former  experiences — to  the  home  of  our  child- 
hood, to  the  spots  where  we  have  loved,  triumphed  and 
suffered.  Few  sentiments  are  more  sacred  than  these  ; 
if  we  completely  yielded  to  them  they  might  bring  us 
to  Jesus. 

May  we  not,  besides,  justly  interpret  his  return  to 
these  scenes  as  a  proof  that  the  departed  still  retain 
an  interest  in  the  world  to  which  they  have  belonged  ? 
Even  the  beatific  vision  will  not  blot  out  of  the  mem- 
ory the  charities  of  this  earth.  Heaven  and  earth  may 
be  far  more  alike  than  is  supposed. 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME  AGAIN.  12/ 


XXXV. 

Another  light  in  which  Jesus  revealed  himself 
to  the  disciples  on  this  occasion  was  as  the  Providence 
of  their  lives. 

In  spite  of  the  eagerness  with  which  they  had  es- 
sayed the  fisherman's  life  again,  yet  that  night  they 
caught  nothing.  It  looked  as  if  their  hands  had  lost 
their  cunning.  But  this  disappointment  gave  Jesus  his 
opportunity.  It  was  against  the  background  of  their 
failure  that  the  divineness  of  his  foresight  shone  out. 
So  it  is  often.  Many  a  man  has  been  prepared  for  the 
visit  of  Christ  by  the  ruin  of  his  schemes  and  the 
break- down  of  his  hopes.  If  it  had  always  gone  well 
with  us,  if  the  world  had  been  entirely  to  our  liking, 
and  we  had  got  everything  our  own  way,  we  might 
never  have  felt  any  need  of  him.  But  when  v/e  had 
toiled  all  night  and  taken  nothing,  and  were  returning 
worn  out  and  weary  in  the  empty  boat,  there  he  was 
on  the  shore  with  assistance  ready.  And  surely  it  is 
better  to  lose  all  and  win  him  than  to  be  so  satisfied  with 
our  own  success  as  to  forget  the  heavenly  inheritance. 

As  soon  as  Jesus  took  the  oversight  of  their  opera- 
tions, and  they  cast  out  the  net  where  he  indicated, 
their  labor,  which  had  all  night  been  so  bootless,  im- 
mediately became  brilliantly  profitable  :  they  secured  a 
take  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  and  three,  all  large  fishes  ; 
and,  for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the  net 
broken.     If  God  comes  nigh  in  the  crisis  of  disappoint- 


128        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

ment,  surely  also  he  is  present  in  the  hour  of  success. 
It  is  through  his  blessing  that  any  labor  of  ours  is  prof- 
itable. It  would  be  a  shame  if  it  were  only  through 
privation  we  could  be  affected,  and  if  we  had  no  per- 
ception of  the  divine  hand  in  the  gifts  of  life. 

Jesus  did  not,  however,  merely  give  them  abun- 
dance of  fish  and  then  leave  them  to  enjoy  what  they 
had  taken.  When  they  came  ashore  they  found  a  fire 
with  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread.  Commentators  have 
puzzled  over  the  question  where  these  came  from.  Did 
angels  bring  them  ?  or  did  Jesus  create  them  ?  or  did 
he  buy  them  or  beg  them  from  friends  on  shore  ? 
What  does  it  matter  ?  It  is  enough  that  he  provided 
them,  as  the  fisherman's  wife  has  a  fire  ready  to  warm 
her  husband,  along  with  the  other  comforts  he  re- 
quires, when  he  returns  from  his  cold  night's  toil. 
What  a  practical,  everyday  Christ !  He  does  not  allow 
those  who  look  to  him  to  lack  any  good  thing.  He  is 
the  Saviour  of  the  body  no  less  than  of  the  soul.  God- 
Hness  has  the  promise  of  the  life  which  now  is,  as  well 
as  of  that  which  is  to  come. 

He  invited  them  to  bring  of  the  fish  which  they 
had  caught,  to  furnish  the  meal  more  sumptuously. 
Then,  assuming  the  place  of  entertainer,  he  made  them 
all  sit  down  and  with  his  own  hands  distributed  among 
them  the  blessings  provided. 

It  is  very  probable  that  these  proceedings  had  a 
special  bearing  on  the  circumstances  of  the  disciples 
at  the  time.  Long  before  this,  when  he  was  calling 
them  first  to  be  his  disciples,  and  they  were  naturally 
troubled  about  where  support  for  themselves  and  their 


ST.   JOHN  AT   HOME  AGAIN.  1 29 

families  was  to  come  from,  he  taught  them  by  a  sim- 
ilar miracle  how  confidently  they  might  depend  on  him 
while  engaged  in  his  service.  But  at  this  crisis  the 
lesson  required  to  be  taught  over  again.  Hitherto  he 
had  himself  been  with  them,  and  his  popularity  had 
insured  them  against  want ;  for  those  who  had  received 
his  miraculous  aid  ministered  to  him  of  their  substance, 
and  the  bag  which  Judas  carried,  if  seldom  overflowing, 
was  never  empty.  Now,  however,  when  he  was  away, 
would  not  the  stream  of  supplies  run  dry  ?  Very  soon 
they  were  to  be  sent  forth  to  preach  the  gospel ;  and 
they  needed  the  assurance  that  their  daily  bread  would 
not  fail.  So  Jesus  had  once  more  to  show  them  that 
all  the  resources  of  the  world  belonged  to  him. 

While,  however,  he  had  this  special  end  in  view, 
we  can,  besides,  say  in  general  that  the  role  thoroughly 
suited  him.  He  delighted,  when  in  the  midst  of  his 
own,  to  be  the  Entertainer.  It  is  astonishing  in  his  life 
to  note  how  often  he  was  present  at  feasting,  and  how 
frequently  in  his  teaching  he  made  use  of  images  bor- 
rowed from  this  section  of  human  life.  "  The  Son  of 
man  came  eating  and  drinking."  He  appreciated  the 
uniting  and  sweetening  power  of  hospitality;  and  he 
thereby  left  to  his  followers  an  example  which  they 
have  been  slow  to  learn.  Hospitality  is  a  Christian 
virtue,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  effective  modes  of 
evangelization.  Few  efforts  for  the  good  of  others  are 
more  fitted  to  be  effective  than  when  Christian  men 
and  women  of  standing  invite  to  their  tables  the  young 
and  the  humble,  who  see  there  the  culture  and  the 
charm  of  a  Christian  home. 

9 


130        THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

But  there  was  more  in  his  love  of  the  entertainer's 
place.  It  was  the  expression  of  a  nature  conscious  of 
its  ability  to  distribute.  He  felt  himself  full  of  what 
was  needed  to  satisfy  and  enrich  the  world.  It  is  not 
for  nothing  that  in  the  chief  sacrament  of  his  church  he 
shows  himself  to  all  the  ages  in  this  character.  In 
the  Lord's  Supper  he  is  the  entertainer.  And  whom 
does  he  invite?  He  follows  his  own  maxim:  "When 
thou  makest  a  dinner  or  a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends, 
nor  thy  brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich 
neighbors,  lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recom- 
pense be  made  thee  ;  but  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  call 
the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  Wind ;  and  thou 
shalt  be  blessed;  for  they  cannot  recompense  thee." 
Such  are  his  guests.  "  This  Man  receiveth  sinners  and 
eateth  with  them." 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME   AGAIN.  13I 


XXXVI. 

Before  looking  at  the  other  ways  in  which  Jesus 
revealed  himself  on  this  occasion  we  may  pause  to 
mark  what  impression  he  was  making  on  the  disciples. 
The  effectiveness  of  a  revelation  depends  on  the  appre- 
hension of  it  in  the  minds  of  those  to  whom  it  is  ad- 
dressed, no  less  than  on  its  intrinsic  importance. 

At  first  the  disciples  did  not  recognize  at  all  with 
whom  they  had  to  do— "Jesus  stood  on  the  shore,  but 
the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus."  It  was  in  the 
grey  of  the  morning  that  he  appeared ;  and  the  imper- 
fect light  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  this. 
But  no  doubt,  also,  their  work  absorbed  them.  Had 
they  been  assembled  for  prayer  in  an  upper  room,  or 
had  it  been  the  Sabbath,  they  might  have  recognized 
him  at  once ;  but  they  did  not  expect  him  to  visit  them 
when  they  were  engaged  in  business.  The  week-day 
Christ  is  not  so  easily  recognized  as  the  Sabbath-day 
Christ.  On  the  sacred  day  we  go  to  his  house  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  him,  and  we  put  on  our  Sabbath 
clothes  for  the  interview ;  but,  if  he  meets  us  when  we 
are  in  our  work-a-day  dress,  if  he  is  standing  by  while 
we  drive  our  bargains,  or  if  he  comes  into  our  homes 
in  the  hours  of  social  mirth— and  he  does  all  these 
things— we  are  probably  unprepared,  and  let  him  pass 
unnoticed. 

In   the  kind   question,   "Children,    have  ye   any 
meat?"  or  at  least  in  the  order  to  cast  the  net  on  the 


132        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM  JESUS   LOVED. 

rig^ht  side  of  the  ship,  they  might  surely  have  recognized 
him.  But  I  have  been  told  by  a  friend  well  acquainted 
with  the  sea  that  it  is  sometimes  possible  for  one  stand- 
ing on  the  shore  to  detect  by  a  pecuHar  ripple  on  the 
surface  of  the  water  the  presence  of  fish  at  a  spot  where 
those  on  the  water  see  no  indication.  This  may  have 
prevented  them  from  suspecting  anything  more  than 
the  hint  of  a  shrewd  observer. 

It  was  only  when  the  miraculous  haul  filled  the  net, 
recalling  an  early  experience  of  the  same  kind,  that  the 
truth  flashed  through  the  mind  of  St.  John ;  and,  after 
casting  a  single  reassuring  look  landwards,  he  whis- 
pered to  St.  Peter,  "  It  is  the  Lord."  It  only  required 
a  glance  to  satisfy  Peter ;  and,  hastily  drawing  on  an 
upper  garment,  that  he  might  not  appear  before  the 
Lord  in  unbecoming  guise,  he  sprang  into  the  water 
and  swam  ashore,  leaving  boat,  fish,  comrades — every- 
thing— behind. 

The  entire  scene  is  eminently  characteristic.  It 
was  St.  John,  the  man  of  affection  and  insight,  who 
discerned  Christ  first;  it  was  St.  Peter,  the  man  of 
passion  and  energy,  who  reached  him  first.  Each  was 
before  the  other  in  one  respect,  and  both  were  the 
leaders  of  the  rest. 

It  is  a  picture  of  the  Church's  life  in  all  times.  Be- 
lievers are  not  all  alike  gifted,  but  all  belong  to  the  one 
body  and  are  intended  to  serve  it  with  their  different 
powers.  There  are  outstanding  men  needed  to  be 
leaders,  and  these  possess  diverse  qualifications.  Some 
are  the  eyes  of  the  body — these  are  the  Johns.  Others 
are  its  hands  and  feet — these  are  the   Peters.      The 


ST.   JOHN  AT   HOME  AGAIN.  1 33 

highest  function  is  that  of  the  Johns — they  are  the  seers, 
to  apprehend  new  revelations,  to  point  out  the  divine 
in  common  Hfe,  to  discern  the  new  path  along  which 
Christ  is  moving  and  calling  the  Church  to  follow.  But 
only  second  in  importance  are  the  Peters — the  men  of 
enterprise  and  action,  who  advance  in  front  of  the  ship 
and  show  the  way.  They  lean  on  the  Johns,  being  in- 
debted to  them  for  eyes,  but  the  Johns  are  also  de- 
pendent on  them  ;  as  the  national  poet,  who  has  struck 
out  the  note  of  liberty  and  made  it  vibrate  in  every 
heart,  has  to  wait  for  the  practical  statesman  or  general 
who  will  arise  to  embody  his  dreams  in  deeds.  Happy 
is  the  church  when  there  are  vouchsafed  to  her  leaders 
of  both  sorts  ;  she  is  happiest  when  she  possesses  them 
together,  united  in  friendship  as  were  John  and  Peter 
then,  or  as  at  the  Reformation  were  Melancthon  and 
Luther. 

The  rest  of  those  in  the  boat  followed,  dragging  the 
full  net  to  the  shore,  where  they  shared  the  privileges 
of  the  leaders.  "  And  none  of  the  disciples  durst  ask 
him.  Who  art  thou  ?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord." 
Apparently  there  was  a  difference  in  his  appearance 
which  might  have  justified  such  a  question,  but  the 
evidence  of  the  scene  as  a  whole  and  the  impression  of 
his  presence  were  too  strong  to  leave  room  for  any 
objections.  Even  Thomas,  the  doubter,  who  was  one 
of  the  group  of  seven,  was  convinced. 

To  us,  who  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight,  the 
evidence  of  religion  can  never  be  such  as  to  make 
doubt  absolutely  impossible,  but  it  is  often  strong 
enough  to  exclude  reasonable  doubt.      There  must  be 


134        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

few  who  cannot  remember  some  incidents  in  their  own 
experience  which  produced  an  overwhelming  impres- 
sion of  God — such  as  a  marvellous  escape  from  danger, 
or  the  recovery  of  a  relative  from  the  jaws  of  death,  or 
a  deliverance  from  what  seemed  a  fatal  business  diffi- 
culty, or  the  unexpected  opening  up  of  a  path  to  use- 
fulness and  honor.  There  are  many  such  incidents 
v/hich  inevitably  produce  on  a  healthy  mind  the  im- 
pression of  a  presiding  Providence.  Others  may  de- 
bate whether  the  thing  cannot  be  explained  by  natural 
causes,  but  the  man  whose  secret  it  is  cannot  ask :  he 
carries  it  through  life  as  a  token  of  the  divine  love  and 
care,  and  as  often  as  he  recalls  it  he  says,  "It  is  the 
Lord."  Far  stronger  still,  however,  is  the  conviction 
springing  out  of  a  lifelong  walk  with  Christ.  Outsiders 
may  venture  to  explain  this  away,  attributing  to  the 
man's  own  fineness  of  natural  disposition  the  holiness 
by  which  he  is  distinguished ;  but  he  who  knows  what 
he  is  in  himself,  and  what  grace  has  done  for  him,  is  as 
certain  as  he  is  of  his  own  existence  that  "  it  is  the 
Lord." 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME  AGAIN.  135 


XXXVII. 

A  THIRD  peculiarity  of  Christ  revealed  on  this 
occasion  was  the  absoluteness  of  his  claim  on  the  love 
and  loyalty  of  his  followers. 

This  of  course  came  out  most  conspicuously  in 
the  noted  scene  when  he  thrice  asked  Peter,  "  Lovest 
thou  me?"  which,  however,  we  must  here  pass  by.  But 
it  came  out  also  in  a  subsequent  scene  in  which  St. 
John  was  direcdy  involved.  After  restoring  St.  Peter 
to  his  apostoHc  mission,  Jesus  said  unto  him,  "  Follow 
me,"  and  apparendy  moved  away  from  the  rest  of  the 
group.  In  obedience  to  this  command  St.  Peter  fol- 
lowed, and,  without  receiving  a  command,  St.  John  did 
the  same.  St.  Peter,  hearing  St  John's  step  behind  him, 
turned  and  said  to  Jesus,  "And  what  shall  this  man 
do?"  or,  more  simply,  "  And  what  of  this  man ?" 

The  motive  of  this  question  has  been  much  dis- 
cussed. Some  have  ascribed  it  to  irritadon,  as  if  St. 
Peter  objected  to  his  tUe-a-tUe  with  the  Saviour  being 
disturbed  by  the  intrusion  of  a  third  party.  Others 
have  assumed  the  very  opposite  motive— that  it  was  out 
of  brotherly  regard  for  St.  John's  welfare  that  he  spoke. 
Jesus  had  just  inUmated  to  himself,  under  the  veil  of  a 
figure  of  speech,  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God ; 
and,  vaguely  at  least,  he  had  understood  the  warning. 
Now  he  asks.  What  of  my  friend :  is  he,  too,  to  die  the 
martyr's  death  ? 

That  there  was  in  the  question  an  allusion  to  St. 


136        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JEISUS   LOVED. 

John's  future  is  manifest  from  the  answer.  Yet  the 
motive  was  a  more  subtle  one.  The  close  dealing  with 
his  conscience,  when  Christ  asked,  *'  Lovest  thou  me  ?" 
had  been  painful  in  the  extreme  to  St.  Peter.  Yet  Je- 
sus was  now  walking  him  away  by  himself;  and  for 
what  purpose  ?  Was  it  to  press  him  with  still  more 
home-coming  question,  too  sacred  for  the  rest  to 
hear?  St.  Peter  was  afraid  of  it;  and  this  turning 
round  to  St.  John,  to  put  the  question  about  his  future, 
was  an  attempt  to  draw  him  into  the  colloquy ;  for  a 
third  in  a  conversation  acts  as  screen  to  keep  off  too 
searching  and  personal  topics.  So  he  asked  an  idle 
question,  apparently  in  anxiety  about  the  fortunes  of 
his  friend,  but  really  for  the  purpose  of  escaping  too 
close  contact  with  Jesus. 

Thus  almost  unawares  does  the  mind  often  try  to 
avoid  Christ,  when  he  is  coming  near  the  conscience. 
At  the  well  of  Sychar,  when  our  Lord  was  probing  the 
conscience  of  the  Samaritan  woman,  she  attempted  to 
divert  the  drift  of  the  conversation  by  raising  an  eccle- 
siastical discussion :  "  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this 
mountain,  and  ye  say  that  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where 
m.en  ought  to  worship."  This  was  a  subject  on  which 
logic  might  have  been  chopped  forever,  and  during  the 
operation  what  directly  concerned  her  would  have 
dropped  out  of  sight.  And  similarly,  when  conversa- 
tion threatens  to  approach  personal  religion,  people 
will,  if  they  are  allowed,  drift  off  to  questions  of  the  idly 
curious  kind.  Even  in  their  own  minds  men  put  up 
such  themes  to  shield  themselves  from  the  pressure  of 
the  claims  of  Christ.      There  are  always  afloat  in  the 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME   AGAIN.  1 37 

atmosphere  of  public  discussion  problems  which  can 
be  used  for  this  purpose.  Darwinism,  the  Higher 
Criticism,  Future  Punishments,  or  the  like — a  man  will 
puzzle  about  one  of  these  and  imagine  he  is  studying 
religion,  when  in  reality  he  is  using  his  difficulties  as 
an  excuse  for  refusing  to  come  to  close  quarters  with 
Christ  and  obey  the  voice  of  the  Holiest.  It  is  possible 
to  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  outside  of  religion, 
and  to  enjoy  religious  service  in  which  we  form  part 
of  the  multitude,  while  we  carefully  avoid  meeting 
with  God  in  secret  and  would  dread  the  full  light  of 
omniscience  turned  upon  our  conduct. 

In  spite  of  St.  Peter's  headlong  rush  through  the 
water  to  get  to  Jesus,  he  was  far  from  being  as  confi- 
dential with  him  as  St.  John  ;  for  the  close  and  lonely 
intercourse  which  he  was  shirking  would  have  been  to 
St.  John  the  height  of  enjoyment. 


138        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED. 


XXXVIII. 

On  this  occasion  Jesus  manifested  his  authority- 
over  his  disciples,  assigning  to  each  his  own  work  and 
his  own  destiny. 

He  met  the  idle  question  of  the  disciple  with  a 
sharp  rebuke — "  What  is  that  to  thee?  follow  thou  me." 
He  was  offended  at  Peter's  levity.  The  questions  put 
to  the  backslider  about  his  love  ought  to  have  driven 
him  in  upon  himself  and  made  him  sober  and  silent ; 
but,  instead  of  being  thus  absorbed,  he  was  starting 
curious  inquiries  about  things  with  which  he  had  noth- 
ing to  do. 

"  There  are  two  great  vanities  in  man,"  says  a 
deep  student  of  human  nature,  "with  respect  to 
knowledge — the  one  a  neglect  to  know  what  it  is  our  ^ 
duty  to  know,  and  the  other  a  curiosity  to  know  what  ^ 
it  does  not  belong  to  us  to  know."  And  in  no  other 
sphere  is  this  so  true  as  in  religion.  At  those  solemn 
moments  when  Christ  is  distincdy  caUing  and  a  decisive 
step  which  would  change  the  whole  course  of  the  life 
is  possible,  how  common  it  is,  instead  of  replying  sim- 
ply and  honestly,  to  turn  round  and  ask,  '*  What  are 
others  doing?  what  would  my  neighbors  say  ?"  When 
opportunities  of  usefulness  arise,  and  Providence  is  in- 
viting us  to  seize  them,  what  do  we  say  ?  Is  it,  "  Here 
am  I,  send  me,"  or  is  it,  "What  are  others  going  to 
do  ?"  In  giving,  for  example,  to  schemes  for  the  spread 
of  the  gospel,  or  for  the  amelioration  of  the  world,  how 


ST.   JOHN   AT   HOME  AGAIN.  1 39 

rare  it  is  to  ask  simply,  "  What  can  I  give?  how  much 
would  God  wish  me  to  give  ?  what  ought  one  blessed 
with  as  much  as  I  have  been  to  give?"  but  how  com- 
mon to  look  round  and  ask,  "  What  are  others  giving  ?" 
Thus  measuring  ourselves  by  ourselves,  and  comparing 
ourselves  among  ourselves,  we  are  not  wise.  Our 
whole  experience  is  stunted  by  this  habit  of  asking 
what  others  are  going  to  do.  "  What  is  that  to  thee? 
follow  thou  me." 

The  reference  to  St.  John's  future  in  the  words, 
"  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,"  may  contain  a  hint 
that  the  apostle  whom  Jesus  loved  was  to  be  long 
spared  and  to  escape  the  martyrdom  destined  for  St. 
Peter,  but  the  only  thing  which  the  words  expressly 
imply  is  that  St.  John's  destiny  was  not  the  affair  of 
St.  Peter,  but  was  taken  by  Jesus  into  his  own  hand. 

This  saying  has  been  quoted  as  a  proof  that  Jesus 
expected  his  second  coming  to  take  place  soon,  as  his 
early  followers  expected  it  in  their  own  lifetime ;  and 
it  is  added  that  events  disappointed  his  expectation,  as 
theirs  is  usually  reckoned  a  weakness.  But  the  weak- 
ness lies  elsewhere.  The  attitude  of  the  apostolic 
Church  was  the  right  one — the  attitude  of  a  servant 
on  the  watch,  not  knowing  at  what  hour  his  lord  may 
come.  The  date  of  Christ's  coming  depends  on  the 
faithfulness  and  success  of  the  Church.  So  far  as  we 
are  informed,  he  might  have  come  even  in  the  lifetime 
of  his  first  disciples,  had  the  faithfulness  of  the  Church 
been  perfect. 

It  is  another  illustration  of  how  much  easier  idle 
curiosity  is  to  the  human  mind  than  either  accurate 


140        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

knowledge  or  plain  duty  that  in  consequence  of  this 
saying  the  rumor  spread  that  St.  John  should  not  die. 
It  not  only  did  so  at  the  time,  but  lasted  long.  It  was 
said  that,  though  buried,  he  was  not  dead,  but  only 
asleep ;  and  St.  Augustine  mendons  persons  in  his  day 
who  alleged  that  they  had  seen  the  earth  moving 
above  his  grave.  Indeed,  down  almost  to  our  own  time, 
the  same  supersdtion  has  reappeared  every  now  and 
then  in  one  grotesque  form  after  another. 

But  the  evangeUst  expressly  emphasizes  the  fact 
that  Jesus  did  not  say  he  was  not  to  die,  but,  "  If  I 
will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?" 


ST.   JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        I41 


ST.  JOHN  IN  THE  PENTECOSTAL  AGE 


XXXIX. 


St.  John's  name  holds  a  prominent  place  in  the  list 
of  the  followers  of  Jesus  who,  as  we  are  told  in  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Book  of  Acts,  were  assembled  in  an 
upper  room  in  Jerusalem  immediately  after  the  Ascen- 
sion. 

What  were  they  doing-  there  ?  They  were  waiting. 
They  had  been  told  by  their  departing  Lord  that  they 
were  to  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high,  and  then 
their  work  as  his  witnesses  would  begin.  What  exactly 
this  promise  meant  they  did  not  know ;  but  they  were 
waiting  to  see.  Already  they  were  in  possession  of  all 
the  facts  which  were  to  form  the  theme  of  their  testi- 
mony: they  had  been  assured  by  many  infallible 
proofs  that  Jesus  was  alive  ;  they  had  seen  him  ascend 
to  sit  at  the  right  hand  of  God;  they  knew  that  it 
was  to  be  the  task  of  their  life  to  make  these  facts 
known.  Still  they  lacked  something.  Their  Master 
had  forbidden  them  to  appear  as  his  witnesses  till  the 
Holy  Spirit  should  come  upon  them.  So  they  waited. 
They  had  time  to  think,  and  to  arrange  in  their  minds 
the  remarkable  experiences  through  which  they  had 
been  passing.  They  had  time  to  pray,  and  their  pray- 
ers deepened  their  sense  of  need.  The  magnitude  of 
their  task  expanded  before  their  imagination,  as  they 


142         THE    DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

contemplated  it;  and  they  wondered  the  more  what  the 
mysterious  influence  was  to  be  by  which  they  should 
be  qualified  for  executing  it. 

At  length  the  hour  of  Providence  struck,  and  the 
promise  of  the  exalted  Saviour  was  fulfilled,  when,  on 
the  Day  of  Pentecost,  in  rushing  mighty  wind  and 
tongues  of  fire,  the  Spirit  descended  on  them.  Not  only 
was  the  conversion  of  three  thousand,  which  immedi- 
ately followed,  due  to  this  divine  gift,  but  the  whole 
drama  of  the  Book  of  Acts — the  miracles,  the  sermons, 
the  extension  of  Christianity,  the  creation  of  institutions, 
the  emergence  of  remarkable  personalities,  the  triumph 
over  opposition,  which  this  book  records — all  are  the 
results  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  Christ  to  send 
the  Holy  Spirit  As  man  after  man  comes  to  the  front — 
apostle  or  deacon,  evangelist  or  prophet — one  after 
another  is  described  as  ''  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  and 
this  is  the  secret  of  the  wonders  performed.  That 
Pentecostal  age  was  a  glorious  epoch  of  originality, 
gladness  and  formative  influence;  but  the  inward  energy 
by  which  the  movement  in  all  its  developments  was 
sustained  and  carried  forward  was  the  Holy  Spirit. 

St.  John  was  in  the  very  midst  of  these  events. 
He,  if  anyone,  was,  in  those  Pentecostal  days,  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  divine  power  poured  through 
him;  gladness  filled  his  heart;  he  was  a  prominent 
actor  in  all  that  was  taking  place ;  and  he  was  in  com- 
plete sympathy  with  what  others  were  doing.  His 
name  does  not,  indeed,  occur  often,  nor  are  there  any 
incidents  in  which  he  is  the  principal  figure;  but  the 
occasions  on  which  he  is  mentioned  are  enough  to  give 


ST.    JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        I43 

a  notion  of  the  experiences  of  a  great  time  and  to  show 
that  he  played  in  it  an  important  part. 

One  of  the  first  scenes  in  which  he  is  mentioned  is 
the  miraculous  cure  of  a  lame  man. 

St.  John  and  St.  Peter  used  daily  to  go  up  to  the 
temple  at  the  hour  of  prayer ;  and  one  day,  as  they 
did  so,  they  passed  a  lame  man,  laid  at  the  Gate 
Beautiful  to  beg  for  alm.s.  The  cripple  was  about  forty 
years  of  age  and  had  long  been  wont  to  beg  there, 
the  ugliness  of  his  deformity  contrasting  with  the  beauty 
of  the  pillar  against  which  he  rested,  and  his  helpless- 
ness appealing  to  the  charity  of  the  passers  by  in  those 
moments  of  devotion  when  they  were  remembering 
their  own  mercies.  He  begged  an  alms  of  Peter  and 
John.  They  happened  at  the  time  to  be  without  money, 
but  they  were  full  of  exultant  joy ;  life  was  overflowing 
within  them ;  and  they  v/ere  overmastered  by  the  im- 
pulse to  communicate  to  this  helpless  brother-man 
something  of  the  strength  with  which  they  were 
blessed.  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  they  com- 
manded him  to  rise  and  walk ;  and  immediately  God 
fulfilled  their  benevolent  wishes ;  for,  the  feet  and  ankle 
bones  of  the  cripple  receiving  strength,  he  leaped  up 
and  rushed  forward,  holding  Peter  with  one  hand  and 
John  with  the  other;  and  he  entered  the  temple, 
"  walking,  and  leaping,  and  prai.sing  God." 

It  must  have  been  with  a  strange  mingling  of  awe 
and  exultation  that  the  apostles  thus  saw  the  motions 
of  their  will  taking  effect  in  the  bodies  of  others.  They 
knew  quite  well,  indeed,  and  confessed  at  once,  that 


144        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

they  had  not  done  the  deed  by  their  own  power  or 
hoHness.  But  they  were  the  channels  through  which 
the  divine  power  passed ;  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  which 
both  inspired  them  with  the  instinct  of  helpfulness  and 
caused  their  philanthropic  desires  to  take  effect  in  this 
remarkable  manner. 

The  age  of  such  miracles  is  long  since  past.  Were 
we,  in  imitation  of  Peter  and  John,  to  order  a  cripple, 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  to  rise  up  and  walk,  the  physical 
heahng  would  not  follow.  But  the  impulse  to  help  is 
still  the  mark  of  a  follower  of  Christ;  and  a  sacred 
enthusiasm  to  communicate  freshness  and  fulness  of 
life  is  one  of  the  most  natural  results  of  being  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  God.  Nor  are  we  without  resources. 
We  can  call  to  our  aid  the  skill  of  the  medical  man, 
the  deftness  of  the  nurse,  the  legislation  of  the  states- 
man, the  authority  of  the  municipality,  and  the  many- 
other  resources  of  science  and  civilization.  We  have 
to  take  a  somewhat  roundabout  road,  but  the  length 
of  the  road  matters  litde ;  if  only  the  impulse  to  help 
be  passionate  enough  it  can  make  long  roads  short. 
Indeed,  by  the  use  of  preventive  measures,  by  which 
disease  and  distress  are  cut  off  at  their  sources,  Chris- 
tian philanthropy  is  finding  shorter  roads  than  even 
that  of  miracles ;  and  so  the  Lord's  wonderful  word  is 
being  fulfilled:  "The  works  that  I  do  shall  ye  do  also; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  ye  do." 


ST.   JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL   AGE.        145 


XL. 

When  the  cripple  who  had  been  cured  went  leap- 
ing and  shouting  into  the  temple,  he  naturally  attracted 
a  crowd,  to  whom  St.  Peter  and  St.  John  seized  the 
opportunity  of  communicating  the  secret  of  the  resur- 
rection. Bat  the  temple  poHce  and  some  of  the  au- 
thorities, who  chanced  to  be  present,  coming  upon 
them,  broke  up  the  gathering  and  carried  off  the  two 
apostles  to  jail  as  disturbers  of  the  peace.  This  was  the 
first  time  Peter  and  John  had  seen  the  inside  of  a  prison, 
and  it  gave  them  a  foretaste  of  the  consequences 
which  the  new  mission  on  v/hich  they  were  embarked 
might  involve.  But  the  heat  and  glow  of  the  enthusi- 
asm with  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  inspiring  them 
were  too  intense  to  allow  them  to  feel  such  a  mis- 
adventure. When,  the  next  day,  they  were  brought 
up  before  the  Sanhedrin  they  not  only  answered  the 
questions  put  to  them  with  intrepidity,  but  seized  the 
occasion  to  urge  home  on  the  consciences  of  the  authori- 
ties the  crime  of  which  they  had  been  guilty,  in  crucify- 
ing One  of  whom  God  had  shown  his  approval  by 
raising  him  from  the  dead.  The  force  of  conviction  so 
loosed  their  tongues  and  raised  them  morally  above 
their  accusers  that,  it  is  said,  the  authorities,  perceiving 
them  to  be  unlearned  and  ignorant  men,  marvelled  at 
them;  and  they  took  knowledge  of  them  that  they 
had  been  with  Jesus.  There  are  certain  states  of  mind 
in  which  the  distance  put  by  conventional  distinctions 

10 


146       THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

between  man  and  man  disappears,  and  he  who  has  the 
larger  manhood,  or  who  has  truth  and  justice  on  his 
side,  towers  over  his  opponents,  who  are  made  to  feel 
how  little  the  mere  authority  of  office  can  avail  them ; 
and  this  victorious  consciousness  is  imparted  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  when  it  is  received  in  purity  and  fulness. 

Shortly  after  this  not  Peter  and  John  only,  but 
apparently  all  the  apostles,  were,  in  similar  circum- 
stances, brought  into  collision  with  the  Jewish  author- 
ities. The  Christian  doctrine  was  spreading  more  and 
more;  men  were  being  converted  by  the  thousand; 
and  the  authorities,  taking  alarm,  cast  the  apostles 
again  into  prison.  But  they  were  miraculously  deliv- 
ered, and  again  appeared  at  their  post  in  the  temple 
as  witnesses  of  the  resurrection.  The  authorities  had 
them  brought  again  before  their  judgment-seat,  but  to 
the  question  why  they  had  broken  through  the  interdict 
the  apostles  replied  that  they  must,  in  such  a  case,  obey 
God  rather  than  man.  On  this  occasion  the  entire 
apostolic  college  were  on  the  point  of  losing  their  lives, 
the  feeling  against  them  being  so  bitter  that  the  author- 
ities thought  of  stamping  out  the  heresy  by  the  death 
of  all  its  preachers.  But  this  murderous  zeal  was 
checked  by  the  intervention  of  Gamaliel,  and  the  feel- 
ing of  the  authorities  was  satisfied  with  beating  the 
apostles  and  dismissing  them.  This,  though  it  is  so 
lightly  told,  probably  means  that  St.  John  and  the  rest 
had  to  endure  forty  stripes  save  one — a  punishment 
which,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  would  have  formed 
in  the  life  of  a  Jew  an  indignity  never  to  be  forgotten. 
But  in  the  state  of  mind  in  which  they  were  it  hardly 


ST.   JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        I47 

made  a  mark  on  their  memories,  and,  so  far  from  being 
broken  by  it,  "  they  departed  from  the  council  rejoic- 
ing that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame 
for  His  name  "  ;  and  they  went  on  with  their  work  as 
if  nothing  had  happened. 

A  far  severer  trial  befell  St.  John  some  time  later, 
when  his  brother  James  was  cut  off  by  the  sword  of 
Herod.  Of  this  incident  no  details  are  given.  We  do 
not  know  how  James  should  have  become  a  man  so 
marked  that  the  hand  of  authority  struck  at  him  in 
preference  to  any  of  the  other  apostles.  But  no  doubt 
it  was  by  the  boldness  of  his  testimony  for  Christ  that 
he  won  this  distinction ;  and,  although  the  loss  must 
have  entered  like  iron  into  the  soul  of  his  sensitive 
brother,  yet  the  grief  of  St.  John  would  be  tempered 
by  the  sense  that  the  martyr  had  sacrificed  his  life  for 
a  great  cause  and  had  gone  to  inherit  a  great  reward. 

A  life  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  is  likely  to  be  a 
life  of  trial  and  suffering,  because  the  impetuosity  of 
its  forward  movement  brings  it  into  collision  with  con- 
ventional authorities  and  vested  interests  ;  but  the  glow 
and  warmth  of  its  own  feeling  will  lift  it  lightly  over 
difficulties,  and  convert  experiences  which  in  ordinary 
circumstances  would  produce  feelings  of  bitter  shame 
and  despair  into  reasons  for  joy  and  triumph. 


148        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


XLI. 

The  Pentecostal  epoch  was  an  era  of  marvels. 
The  historian  of  it  has,  in  every  other  paragraph,  to. 
remark  how  excitement  and  wonder  were  caused  by 
what  was  happening.  Not  only  were  those  astonished 
who  saw  or  heard  what  was  taking  place,  but  the  chief 
actors  themselves  were  carried  forward  in  a  kind  of 
dream  of  wonder,  as,  following  the  indications  of 
Providence,  they  advanced  from  one  scene  of  novelty 
to  another,  by  a  path  which  it  would  never  have 
entered  into  their  own  hearts  to  tread. 

Especially  astonishing  to  them  was  the  way  in 
which  the  fences  within  which  their  religious  life  had 
been  confined  broke  down,  and  they  were  carried  into 
one  new  territory  after  another  as  preachers  of  Christ ; 
the  oddest  circumstances  sometimes  giving  the  provi- 
dential impulse  to  fresh  developments.  Not  infre- 
quently it  was  by  persecution  that  the  new  faith  was 
driven  out  of  one  place  into  another,  where,  but  for 
this  reason,  it  might  never  have  been  heard  of;  so  that 
the  opposition  which  threatened  to  extinguish  the  fire 
of  the  Gospel  only  scattered  its  embers  far  and  wide  ; 
and  wherever  they  fell  a  new  fire  was  kindled. 

Of  course  the  supreme  surprise  was  the  admission 
of  the  Gentiles  to  an  equal  share  with  the  Jews  in 
the  privileges  of  the  gospel.  This  was  one  of  the 
greatest  revolutions  of  thought  and  practice  in  the  his- 
tory of  humanity  ;  but  its  beginnings  belong  rather  to 


ST.   JOHN  IN  THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        1 49 

the  life  of  St.  Peter  and  its  consummation  to  the  Hfe 
of  St.  Paul  than  to  the  history  of  St.  John.  Before, 
however,  the  decisive  step  was  taken  by  the  baptism  of 
Cornelius  at  the  hands  of  St.  Peter,  there  were  frag- 
mentary and  tentative  movements  in  the  same  direc- 
tion ;  and  with  one  of  these  St.  John  had  an  interesting 
connection. 

Those  who  were  scattered  abroad  from  Jerusalem 
by  the  persecution  which  ensued  on  the  martyrdom  of 
St.  Stephen  went  everywhere  preaching  the  Word  ;  and 
Philip,  one  of  the  seven  deacons,  drifted  to  Samaria, 
where  he  began  to  make  Christ  known  ;  because  in 
those  days  none  of  Christ's  followers  could  keep  to 
themselves  the  secret  which  was  burning  in  their  bones. 
So  striking  were  the  effects  of  Philip's  preaching  that 
the  news  came  to  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  and  St. 
John  and  St.  Peter  were  sent  down  to  Samaria  to  in- 
spect and  direct  the  movement. 

The  Samaritans  were  neither  Jews  nor  Gentiles, 
but  stood  on  the  border  line  between  the  two  ;  and,  in 
ordinary  circumstances,  Peter  and  John,  as  strict  Jews, 
would  undoubtedly  have  felt  scruples  about  holding 
intercourse  with  them.  But  what  they  saw  on  this  oc- 
casion made  them  forget  their  prejudices ;  they  threw 
themselves  into  the  good  work  which  was  going  on ; 
they  were  the  means  of  communicating  to  the  converts 
the  gifts  of  the  Spirit ;  and,  before  returning  to  Jerusa- 
lem, they  "  preached  the  gospel  in  many  villages  of  the 
Samaritans." 

In  St.  John  this  was  the  more  remarkable  be- 
cause  of  an  incident  of  his  earlier  history  which  will 


I50        THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

be  remembered.  Being  at  the  entrance  of  a  Samaritan 
village  which  refused  to  receive  his  Master,  he  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  call  down  on  it  fire  from  heaven.  Such 
was  the  natural  man  in  St.  John;  such  was  the  natural 
prejudice  of  Jew  against  Samaritan.  But,  when  filled 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  John  was  full  of  love,  and  he  saw 
objects  to  admire  or  to  pity  where  formerly  he  had 
only  seen  objects  to  hate  and  to  destroy.  When  men 
are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  they  will  look  on  their 
fellow- creatures  with  new  eyes ;  they  will  see  in  the 
worst  of  them  precious  souls  to  be  loved  and  re- 
deemed. Nothing  so  transmutes  to  our  feeling  the 
most  objectionable  of  our  fellow-men  as  an  honest  effort 
on  our  part  to  do  them  good.  Only  get  near  enough 
any  child  of  Adam,  and  there  can  never  fail  to  be 
found  in  him  something  to  which  the  heart  can  attach 
itseE 


ST.   JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        1 5 


XLII. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  the  Pen- 
tecostal epoch  was  the  development  of  brotherly  feel- 
ing. The  religious  sentiment  is  a  centripetal  one ;  and, 
when  it  becomes  intense,  it  draws  men  irresistibly  to- 
gether. Thus,  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  we  read  con- 
tinually of  the  earliest  Christians  being  "  all  with  one 
accord  in  one  place."  They  almost  lived  together; 
and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  if  they  were  permanently 
to  have  a  common  table  and  a  common  purse.  In 
this  close  brotherly  intercourse,  it  is  easy  to  believe, 
the  affectionate  heart  of  St.  John  would  take  cordial 
part.  The  love  of  many  must,  however,  have  also 
concentrated  itself  in  special  friendships,  and  this  was 
the  case  with  St.  John.  In  those  days  he  and  St. 
Peter  became  so  closely  associated  as  to  be  insepa- 
rable. In  every  scene  in  which  St.  John  is  mentioned  in 
the  Acts  St.  Peter  is  mentioned  along  with  him.  They 
were  together  in  the  upper  room  waiting  for  the  gift 
of  the  Spirit ;  they  were  together  when  the  lame  man 
was  healed ;  they  appeared  together  before  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  and  were  imprisoned  together ;  and  they  went 
down  together  to  evangelize  Samaria. 

The  origin  of  this  friendship  was,  indeed,  far 
earlier.  John  and  Peter  were  natives  of  the  same 
town.  As  boys  they  learned  the  same  trade,  and  in 
manhood  they  were   partners  in  business.      They,  in 


152        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

all  probability,  went  together  to  Jerusalem  to  the  feasts 
and  they  both  were  involved  in  the  movement  of  the 
Baptist.  They  were  introduced  to  Christ  on  the  same 
day.  Not  only  were  both  among  the  twelve  apostles, 
but  both  belonged  to  the  chosen  Three.  In  many 
a  scene  of  the  life  of  Christ  they  were  especially  drawn 
together  at  the  close;  they  exhibited  their  mutual  un- 
derstanding at  the  Last  Supper ;  they  were  side  by  side 
in  Gethsemane :  they  were  in  the  high  priest's  palace 
together ;  and  they  ran  together  to  the  Lord's  empty 
tomb.  But  it  was  after  the  Ascension  that  their  friend- 
ship took  its  final  and  most  perfect  form.  The  Master 
whom  both  loved  being  away,  each  felt  more  than  ever 
the  need  of  the  other.  In  the  fire  of  the  Pentecostal 
enthusiasm  their  hearts  were  riveted  to  each  other ;  and 
thus  there  was  formed  one  of  the  most  memorable 
friendships  of  the  world,  like  that  of  David  and  Jonathan 
in  the  Old  Testament,  or  of  Luther  and  Melancthon  in 
modern  times.  The  two  men  were  very  unlike ;  but 
this  is  no  obstacle  to  friendship,  but  rather  the  reverse ; 
for  different  peculiarities  complement  each  other,  if 
only  there  be  a  fundamental  identity  of  sentiment ;  and 
this  Peter  and  John  had  in  their  common  devotion  to 
Christ.  What  a  source  of  happiness  their  friendship 
must  have  been  to  them,  as  they  talked  over  the  in- 
cidents of  their  extraordinary  career,  helping  one  an- 
other to  recall  the  words  of  their  Master  and  the 
traits  of  his  character,  and  as  they  faced  danger  or 
labored  in  the  Gospel,  or  discussed  together  the  plans 
of  the  great  enterprise  in  which  they  were  engaged ! 
Surely  friendship  never   can  be  so  sweet  and  helpful 


r 


ST.   JOHN   IN   THE   PENTECOSTAL  AGE.        1 53 

as  when  it  is  founded  on  common  love  to   Christ   and 
common  enthusiasm  in  his  work. 

In  this  friendship  St.  Peter  was,  to  outward  ap- 
pearance, the  predominant  partner.  In  the  first  half 
of  the  Book  of  Acts  he  is  always  the  leader ;  and  St. 
John  retires  behind  his  more  prominent  figure,  playing 
an  altogether  subordinate  part.  But  it  is  one  of  the 
finest  peculiarities  of  a  time  hke  Pentecost  that  all 
engaged  in  the  work  of  God  forget  themselves,  being 
too  concerned  with  the  work  itself  to  have  time  to 
spare  for  estimating  the  magnitude  of  their  own  share 
in  it  or  contrasting  it  with  that  of  others ;  and  we  may 
be  certain  that  the  heart  of  St.  John  would  have  been 
the  last  to  envy  the  honor  vouchsafed  to  another.  Be- 
sides, St.  Peter  must  have  known  all  the  time  that  in 
this  friendship  he  was  getting  more  than  he  could 
give.  There  are  gifts  which  qualify  for  leadership  and 
publicity;  but  those  who  occupy  the  second  place, 
or  who  are  hidden  altogether  from  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  may  have  the  deeper  nature  and  the  finer 
graces.  Some  gifts  are  intended  for  immediate  effect; 
others  come  slowly  to  maturity,  but  their  influence  is 
far  more  lasting.  St.  Peter  had  the  gifts  necessary  to 
break  ground  for  Christianity,  to  champion  it  in  the 
face  of  opposition  and  to  direct  its  first  conquests; 
but  St.  John,  sunk  out  of  sight,  was  far  nearer  the 
heart  of  Christianity.  In  his  Gospel  there  is  a  view 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  widely  different  from  that  which  is 
found  in  Acts.  In  Acts  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  power 
by  which  Christianity  is  extended — the  very  power 
which  rested  supremely  on  St.  Peter;  but  in  the  fourth 


154        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

Gospel  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  substitute  for  Jesus, 
the  Intermediary  between  the  invisible  Christ  and  the 
visible  Church,  who  takes  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
shows  them  unto  us.  In  the  Spirit's  influence,  as  it  is 
represented  in  Acts,  St  John  had  his  share  ;  but  he 
especially  shared  in  the  other  mode  of  the  Spirit's  in- 
fluence described  in  his  own  Gospel.  The  things  of 
Christ  were  shown  to  him,  the  character  of  Christ  was 
put  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  Christ  was  breathed  into 
him.  And  this  gave  to  his  fellowship  a  priceless  value; 
for  all  other  advantages  which  friendship  can  confer 
grov/  small  in  comparison  with  the  charm  and  the 
influence  of  the  beauty  of  holiness. 


ST.   JOHN   IN    PATMOS.  1 5$ 


ST.  JOHN  TN  PATMOS. 


XLIII. 

St.  John  slips,  in  characteristic  silence,  out  of  the 
Book  of  Acts ;  and  the  information  which  we  obtain  of 
his  subsequent  life  is  scanty  in  the  extreme. 

In  one  of  St.  Paul's  epistles  he  is  mentioned ;  and 
we  are  happy  from  this  notice  to  learn  that  the  two 
great  teachers  of  Christianity  met  at  least  once  face  to 
face.  Paul  calls  John  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  church, 
the  others  at  that  time  being  St.  Peter  and  St.  James. 
This  was  when  the  headquarters  of  Christianity  were 
still  at  Jerusalem. 

In  Jerusalem  St.  John  is  beHeved  to  have  remained 
till  the  death  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  loyally  and  lovingly 
fulfilling  the  charge  which  the  Saviour  had  imposed  on 
him  with  his  dying  breath.  When  released  from  this 
duty  by  her  decease,  he  no  doubt  went  forth  like  the 
other  apostles  to  evangelize  the  world ;  but  in  what  di- 
rection he  turned  his  steps  we  have  no  information. 
For  a  considerable  number  of  years  our  record  of  his 
life  is  an  absolute  blank. 

There  is,  in  one  of  the  writings  of  St.  Augustine, 
some  shadow  of  a  statement  that  he  went  to  the  Parthi- 
ans ;  but  it  appears  to  be  founded  only  on  the  mistrans- 
lation of  a  word  in  one  of  St.  John's  own  writings. 
There  is  also  a  tradition  of  his  being  in  Rome;  and 


156  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

two  well-known  traditions  are  connected  with  this  sup- 
posed residence  in  the  eternal  city.  It  is  told  that  dur- 
ing one  of  the  persecutions  he  was  cast  into  a  caldron 
of  boihng  oil,  but  came  out  unharmed ;  and  it  is  also 
affirmed  that  he  was  given  to  drink  a  poisoned  cup,  but 
when  he  drank  it  no  ill  effect  ensued,  because  the  poi- 
son had  taken  itself  away  in  the  shape  of  a  serpent.  In 
mediaeval  art  this  scene  is  frequently  represented,  St. 
John  appearing  as  a  beautiful  youth  with  a  cup  in  his 
hand,  out  of  which  a  serpent  is  escaping.  But  legends 
of  this  sort  carry  on  their  face  their  own  refutation. 

Putting  such  traditions  aside,  we  have  satisfactory 
information  that  he  appeared  in  Asia  Minor.  This  is 
the  statement  of  Irenaeus,  who  must  have  known  the 
fact  perfectly  well,  because  he  was  a  disciple  of  Poly- 
carp,  the  martyr  bishop  of  Hierapolis,  and  Polycarp 
was  a  disciple  of  John. 

The  latter  part  of  St.  John's  life  was  spent  in  this 
region ;  and  the  city  with  which  the  unanimous  tradi- 
tion of  early  times  associates  him  is  Ephesus. 

This  city  was  situated  on  the  ^gean  coast,  and  it 
was  one  of  the  great  centres  of  human  life  in  that  age  ; 
for  Christianity,  at  its  inception,  had  a  predilection  for 
large  cities,  whence  its  influence  might  radiate  into  the 
regions  with  which  they  were  connected.  Ephesus 
contained  a  great  population  and  was  a  place  of  enor- 
mous wealth  and  activity.  St.  John  may  have  been  in- 
spired by  the  aspect  of  its  busy  quays  and  streets  when 
he  thus  described  the  traffic  of  the  mystic  Babylon: 
"  The  merchandise  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious 
stones,  and  of  pearls,  and  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and 


ST.   JOHN   IN   PATMOS.  15/ 

silk,  and  scarlet,  and  thyine  wood  and  all  manner  ves- 
sels of  ivory,  and  all  manner  vessels  of  most  precious 
wood,  and  of  brass  and  iron  and  marble,  and  cinnamon, 
and  odors,  and  ointment,  and  frankincense,  and  wine, 
and  oil,  and  fine  flour  and  wheat,  and  beasts,  and  sheep, 
and  horses,  and  chariots,  and  slaves,  and  souls  of  men." 
The  last  awful  words  suggest — what  was  the  fact — that 
it  was  an  extremely  wicked  city.  Shakespeare's  account 
of  an  imaginary  Ephesus,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
Comedy  of  Errors,  is  too  true  a  description  of  the  real 
ancient  Ephesus : 

"  They  say  this  town  is  full  of  cozenage, 
As  nimble  jugglers  that  deceive  the  eye, 
Dark-working  sorcerers  that  change  the  mind, 
Soul-killing  witches  that  deform  the  body, 
Disguised  cheaters,  prating  mountebanks, 
And  many  such  like  liberties  of  sin." 

Being  connected  by  both  land  and  sea  with  Syria  and 
the  countries  beyond,  it  swarmed  with  those  professors 
of  black  arts  whom  the  East  in  that  age  poured  in  mul- 
titudes into  the  great  cities  of  the  West;  and  these 
preyed  on  the  strangers  from  every  shore  who  entered 
the  harbor.  The  centre,  however,  of  degradation  was 
the  temple  of  Diana.  This  was  reckoned  one  of  the 
seven  wonders  of  the  world.  It  was  larger  than  any 
known  structure  of  the  kind ;  it  had  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  pillars,  each  of  which  was  the  gift  of  a 
king ;  it  contained  masterpieces  in  both  sculpture  and 
painting  of  the  greatest  artists  of  antiquity,  such  as 
Phidias  and  Appelles  ;  its  worship  was  maintained  by 
innumerable  priests  and  priestesses ;  and  its  votaries 


158  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

could  boast  that  Asia  and  the  whole  world  worshipped 
its  divinity. 

Obviously  this  was  a  place  where  the  Gospel  was 
urgently  needed;  and  before  it  was  visited  by  St. 
John  the  work  of  its  evangelization  had  been  vigor- 
ously begun.  It  had  been  the  chief  centre  of  the  third 
missionary  journey  of  the  apostle  Paul,  who  had  de- 
voted to  it  three  whole  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  was  violently  driven  forth ;  but  his  work  remained, 
and  St.  John,  when  he  arrived,  entered  on  the  heritage 
left  by  his  predecessor. 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  St.  Paul  had 
not  only  established  Christianity  in  Ephesus,  but  plant- 
ed churches  in  the  regions  round  about.  Behind  Ephe- 
sus, in  the  valleys  of  the  Hermus,  Cayster,  and  Maean- 
der,  there  lay  a  number  of  important  cities,  such  as 
Smyrna,  Pergamos  and  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia 
and  Laodicea  ;  and  to  these  the  Christian  movement,  if 
active  in  Ephesus,  could  hardly  fail  to  penetrate.  It 
had  penetrated  to  them  ;  and  when  St.  John  reached 
Ephesus  he  not  only  found  the  foundations  laid  in  that 
city  on  which  he  might  build,  but  a  sphere  of  influence 
open  to  him  in  the  surrounding  places.  This  he  would 
no  doubt  extend  and  develop,  and  we  find  him,  in  the 
opening  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Revelation,  exercising 
a  pastoral  oversight  not  only  over  Ephesus,  but  also 
over  the  neighboring  towns,  evidently  with  a  minute 
and  sympathetic  knowledge  of  the  circumstances  of 
every  one  of  them. 


ST.   JOHN   IN    PATMOS.  159 


XLIV. 


There  is  only  one  incident  of  the  latter  half  of  St. 
John's  life  of  which  we  have  a  complete  account ;  and 
we  owe  the  vivid  picture  to  his  own  hand.  It  is  an  ac- 
count of  his  call  to  be  a  Christian  writer.  A  speaker  for 
Christ  he  had  long  been  ;  but  his  writing  was  far  to  ex- 
ceed in  importance  his  speaking;  and  he  received  a 
special  call  to  it. 

The  circumstances  are  very  fully  given,  and  they 
are  worthy  of  attention. 

He  was  *'  in  the  isle  called  Patmos."  This  is  an 
island  at  no  great  distance  from  Ephesus,  one  of  the 
group,  called  the  Sporades,  scattered  at  this  part  of  the 
coast  over  the  surface  of  the  ^gean.  It  is  only  a  few 
miles  in  length,  and  is  rocky  and  rugged  in  configura- 
tion ;  but  travellers  speak  with  enthusiasm  of  its  beauty,  >j, 
when  it  is  seen  in  a  favorable  light  where  it  sleeps  upon 
the  lovely  sea.  It  has  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  but  it 
is  a  lonely  spot. 

St.  John  says  that  he  was  on  this  island  "  for  the 
Word  of  God  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ ;" 
which  may  only  mean  that  he  was  providentially  led 
there  to  receive  by  inspiration  the  Word  of  God  and 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  more  probably  the 
generally  accepted  interpretation  is  correct,  that  he  was 
banished  to  this  place  for  preaching  God's  Word  and 
for  his  loyalty  to  Christ ;  because  in  the  same  breath  he 
declares  himself  to  be  brother  and  companion  in  tribu- 


l6o       THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

lation  to  those  who  are  persecuted.  Lonely  islands 
were  in  that  age  favorite  places  of  banishment;  and 
Patmos  may  well  have  been  used  for  this  purpose  by 
the  authorities  of  Ephesus.  What  they  intended,  how- 
ever, for  evil  turned  out,  through  the  overruling 
providence  of  God,  to  be  for  infinite  good.  Possibly 
in  Ephesus  St.  John  had  been  working  so  hard  that  he 
had  little  time  to  think  and  no  time  to  write ;  but,  when 
banished  to  this  solitude,  he  found  ample  leisure.  So  it 
was  when  Milton's  public  hfe  was  violently  ended  by 
the  death  of  Cromwell,  and  his  outward  activity  limited 
by  his  blindness,  that  he  mused  the  greatest  epic  of  the 
world ;  and  it  is  indirectly  to  those  who  kept  Bunyan 
for  twelve  years  in  Bedford  jail  that  we  owe  the  Pil- 
grim's Progress.  Prison  literature  has  greatly  enriched 
mankind,  and  at  the  head  of  all  such  products  we  must 
place  the  Book  of  Revelation. 

Such  was  the  place  where  the  call  came.  The 
time  was  the  "  Lord's  day."  This  is  the  only  passage 
in  Scripture  where  this  now  well-known  name  occurs  ; 
but,  when  we  compare  it  with  such  a  phrase  as  *'  the 
Lord's  Supper,"  and  when  we  read  how  the  Christians 
came  together  for  worship  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
or  on  the  same  day  laid  by  in  store  their  gifts  for  poor 
saints,  there  can  be  no  mistake  to  what  it  refers.  The 
day  of  the  week  on  which  the  Lord  rose  from  the  dead 
was  already  esteemed  a  sacred  day  by  Christians,  and 
in  the  mind  of  Christian  Jev/s,  like  St.  John,  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  Sabbath  had  in  all  probability  been  trans- 
ferred to  it. 

How  St.  John  was  employed  on  such  a  day  we 


ST.   JOHN   IN   PATMOS.  l6l 

can  without  difficulty  guess.  He  was  praying,  no 
doubt.  He  might  be  reading  the  Word  of  God.  We 
may  even  make  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  portion  of 
Scripture  he  was  studying;  for  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tion is  steeped  in  the  spirit  and  imagery  of  the  Book 
of  Daniel.  It  exhibits  many  traces  also  of  another 
book,  not  in  the  canon  of  Scripture— the  apocryphal 
Book  of  Enoch — and  this  also  the  apostle  may  have 
had  on  the  island  with  him.  He  was  thinking  with 
love  and  intense  concern  of  the  churches  under  his 
charge,  from  access  to  which  he  was  for  the  time  de- 
barred; as  other  exiles — Knox  for  example,  when  in 
Geneva,  or  Rutherford,  when  banished  from  Anwoth — 
have  passionately  longed  for  their  congregations.  He 
was  thinking,  too,  of  "  the  heavy  and  the  weary  weight 
of  all  this  unintelligible  world ;"  for,  whether  his  ban- 
ishment took  place,  as  is  differently  reported,  in  the 
reign  of  Nero  or  in  that  of  Domitian,  it  was  an  evil 
time,  when  the  ravening  wolves  of  persecution  had 
been  let  loose  and  threatened  to  annihilate  Christ's  little 
flock. 

Such  was  St.  John's  situation  on  the  Lord's  day 
on  the  lonely  isle  of  Patmos,  when  his  absorpdon 
deepened  into  the  prophetic  trance,  or,  as  he  puts  it, 
he  was  "  in  the  Spirit ;"  and  then  he  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  his  divine  vocation. 


II 


l62         THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 


XLV. 

The  divine  call  was  addressed  first  to  the  ear  and 
then  to  the  eye. 

First,  he  heard  behind  him  "a  great  voice,  as 
of  a  trumpet."  This  expressed  the  desire  of  Him  from 
whom  the  voice  came  to  speak  through  means  of  the 
apostle :  he  had  a  message  which  he  wished  to  ring 
like  a  trumpet  round  the  world.  This  was  further 
indicated  by  what  the  voice  proceeded  to  say :  "  1  am 
Alpha  and  Omega."  These  are  the  first  and  the  last 
letters  of  the  Greek  alphabet;  therefore  they  are  the 
beginning  and  ending  of  all  that  can  be  written  in  the 
Greek  language.  And  so  is  Christ  himself  the  sum 
and  substance  of  all  which  his  messengers  have  to 
deliver  to  the  world :  with  him  they  have  to  begin,  and 
with  him  they  have  to  end.  But  there  could  be  no 
mistake  in  the  interpretation  of  the  symbol,  because 
the  voice  proceeded  to  instruct  St  John  that  he  was  to 
write  a  book,  the  contents  ol  which  would  be  divinely 
communicated  to  him,  and  he  was  ordered  to  send  it 
to  the  churches  of  the  province  of  Asia,  which  were 
under  his  superintendence. 

So  far  the  revelation  addressed  itself  to  the  ear  ; 
but  a  much  greater  impression  was  produced  through 
the  avenue  of  the  inner  eye,  to  which  there  was  pre- 
sented nothing  less  than  a  vision  of  the  glorified  Head 
of  the  church. 

Turning  round  to  see,  as  he  expresses  it,  the  voice 
which  talked  with  him,  he  saw  One  like  unto  the  Son 


ST.   JOHN   IN   PATMOS.  163 

of  man  in  the  midst  of  seven  golden  candlesticks, 
or  rather  lampstands.  These  candlesticks  were  ex- 
plained to  him  as  symbols  of  the  seven  churches  of 
the  province  of  Asia ;  and  the  symbolism  was  appro- 
priate, for  were  not  these  churches  lights  shining  in 
dark  places  by  holding  forth  the  illumination  of  divine 
truth?  But  in  order  to  serve  this  purpose  they  re- 
quired to  be  trimmed  and  supphed  with  oil ;  and  this 
was  why  He  whom  John  saw  was  standing  or  walking 
in  the  midst  of  them.  He  was  watching  and  pass- 
ing from  one  to  another  to  see  that  their  light  did  not 
go  out. 

Such  was  his  work  ;  but  St.  John  proceeds  in  sub- 
Ume  terms  to  describe  his  aspect. 

He  was  **  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the 
feet,  and  girt  about  the  breast  with  a  golden  girdle." 
The  word  employed  for  '*  garment "  is  the  name  for  a 
priestly  robe,  so  that  it  was  in  the  character  of  priest 
that  this  superhuman  Figure  presented  himself  Per- 
haps it  is  to  the  priestly  character  also  that  the  next 
two  traits  apply.  *'  His  head  and  his  hairs  were  white 
like  wool,  as  white  as  snow."  This  has  been  sup- 
posed to  indicate  venerable  age,  but  it  is  more  likely 
that  it  is  a  symbol  of  priestly  purity.  And  the  other 
trait—"  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire  "—denotes  the 
keenness  with  which  he  seeks  for  purity  in  others. 

Two  other  traits  appear  to  bring  out  rather  his 
kingly  character— the  one,  that  '*  His  feet  were  like 
fine  brass,"  and  the  other,  that  "  He  had  in  his  right 
hand  seven  stars."  Feet  of  brass  should  be  symbols  of 
solid  and  irresistible  strength,  whether  used  for  bearing 


164        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

weight  imposed  from  above  or  for  treading  down  op- 
position. There  is  no  burden  which  the  friends  of 
Christ  can  lay  upon  him  which  he  is  not  able  to  sus- 
tain ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  force  which 
his  enemies  can  bring  against  him  which  he  is  not  able 
to  trample  under  foot.  Woe  to  the  opponent  who 
feels  on  his  neck  the  weight  of  the  feet  which  are  of  fine 
brass  !  In  what  form  the  seven  stars  appeared  in  the 
right  hand  of  this  Figure  we  can  only  conjecture. 
Some  have  supposed  them  to  have  been  set  like  pre- 
cious stones  in  a  ring  worn  on  his  finger  or  in  a  bracelet 
on  his  wrist,  but  this  is  perhaps  too  precise.  These 
stars  are  afterwards  described  as  the  angels  of  the  seven 
churches,  by  which  we  are  to  understand  the  authori- 
ties presiding  over  them..  These  *'  angels  "  had  the 
churches  in  their  hands,  but  they  themselves  were  held 
in  the  right  hand  of  Christ,  as  the  authorities  of  all 
churches  must  ever  be  if  they  are  to  have  any  true 
success. 

The  two  traits  that  have  still  to  be  mentioned  may, 
perhaps,  be  said  to  set  forth  the  prophetic  character  of 
Him  who  is  here  described.  His  voice  was  '*  as  the 
sound  of  many  waters."  As  there  is  no  sound  so  mystic 
and  subduing  as  the  manifold  voice  of  ocean,  and  as 
this  voice  murmurs  upon  every  shore  and  envelops  the 
world,  so  is  the  prophetic  word  of  Christ  intended  to 
reach  all  men,  and  when  it  comes  with  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  it  is  irresistible.  "  Out  of  his  mouth 
went  a  sharp  two-edged  sword" — this  is  the  other 
prophetic  trait.  Perhaps  it  ought  rather  to  be  regarded 
as  kingly,  for  the  sword  intended  is  that  of  the  Judge, 


ST.   JOHN   IN   PATMOS.  165 

who  will  separate  men  at  the  last  and  recompense  them 
according  to  their  deeds.  But  it  also  inevitably  recalls 
the  Word  of  God,  which  is  "  quick  and  powerful,  and 
sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword."  The  two  mean- 
ings are  not  far  apart,  for  Christ  said  himself  in  regard 
to  everyone  who  heard  him  :  "  The  word  that  I  have 
spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  at  the  last  day." 

The  final  trait  of  the  description  is,  "  His  counte- 
nance was  as  the  sun  shineth  in  his  strength."  Perhaps 
it  ought  rather  to  be  "  His  aspect."  It  was  not  the 
face  alone  of  this  wonderful  Figure,  but  his  whole  per- 
son, that  emitted  a  dazzling  light :  he  stood  in  a  circle 
of  glory ;  and  this  was  as  intense  as  the  midday  sun. 


l66        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 


XLVI. 

In  some  features  of  this  description — especially  the 
two-edged  sword  proceeding  out  of  the  mouth — we 
recognize  the  peculiarity  of  the  Hebrew  imagination,  to 
which  the  harmony  of  one  part  of  a  picture  with  an- 
other was  not  a  necessity,  as  it  was  to  the  mind  of  the 
Greek.  Thoroughly  to  enjoy  St.  John's  description 
we  should  have  to  translate  some  portions  of  his  im- 
agery into  their  Greek  equivalents,  so  as  to  render  the 
whole  harmonious  as  a  single  visual  perception.  But 
there  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  impres- 
sive visions  which  the  Word  of  God  contains. 

What  surprises  us  is  the  discrepancy  between  it 
and  the  Christ  of  St.  John's  memory.  One  would  have 
expected  that  if  in  the  vision  he  saw  his  beloved  Master 
again  the  form  would  have  been  a  glorified  reproduction 
of  the  figure  with  which  he  had  been  so  familiar  in  the 
days  of  Christ's  flesh.  We  dare  not,  however,  regard 
what  he  saw  in  Patmos  merely  as  an  image  projected 
from  his  own  imagination ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  a 
figure  cast  on  the  internal  mirror  from  the  outside ;  and 
the  reason  why  it  was  so  different  from  the  Jesus  of  St. 
John's  memory  may  have  been  because  the  apostle 
required  an  entirely  new  conception  of  his  Master,  an- 
swering to  the  distance  to  which  He  had  removed  and 
the  state  of  glory  into  which  He  had  entered.  This 
may  have  been  necessary,  to  impress  the  mind  of  St. 
John  with  the  proper  sense  of  His  greatness. 


ST.    JOHN   IN   PATMOS.  16^7 

At  all  events,  the  impression  which  the  vision  did 
produce  was  profound.  As  St.  Paul,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  appeared  to  him  in  glory  on  the  way  to  Damas- 
cus, fell  to  the  ground  and  was  struck  bUnd  for  a 
season,  so  St,  John  when  this  vision  flashed  upon  him 
fell  down  like  a  dead  man. 

But  the  divine  Figure  at  whose  feet  he  had  fallen, 
bending  over  him,  touched  him  with  his  hand.  This 
was  the  hand  that  held  the  seven  stars,  yet  it  could 
give  a  light  and  comforting  touch ;  for,  glorious  and 
terrible  as  is  the  exalted  One,  yet  is  he  that  gentle  Jesus 
who  blessed  the  children  and  was  the  Friend  of  sinners. 
He  proceeded  to  rally  his  prostrate  servant  with  com- 
fortable words ;  and  then  he  instructed  him  that  this 
vision  was  a  divine  preparation  for  the  disclosure  of  the 
mystery  which  was  still  hidden,  but  which  the  book 
to  be  penned  by  him  was  to  reveal  to  the  world. 

In  many  respects  this  experience  of  St.  John  bears 
a  striking  resemblance  to  the  visions  by  which  the 
prophetic  career  of  Old  Testament  prophets,  hke  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  was  inaugurated.  The  pecu- 
liarity in  this  case,  as  has  been  already  noted,  is  that 
the  scene  did  not  take  place  at  the  commencement  of 
his  career  as  a  man  of  God,  but  in  the  middle  of  it,  at 
the  time  when  he  was  about  to  enter  upon  the  work  ot 
a  writer. 

This  casts  an  interesting  hght  on  the  writings  of 
St.  John.  As  far  as  we  are  informed,  the  literary  activi- 
ty of  no  other  New  Testament  writer  was  inaugurated 
with  any  such  ceremony  and  solemnity ;  indeed,  many  of 
the  New  Testament  writings  rather  produce  the  impres- 


l68        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

sion  that  their  authors  were  unconscious  of  the  extraor- 
dinary place  to  which  the  productions  of  their  pens 
were  destined.  But  in  St.  John  this  came  to  complete 
consciousness,  and  he  knew  when  he  put  pen  to  paper 
that  he  was  doing  a  momentous  work  for  both  God  and 
man. 

There  is,  however,  a  more  general  lesson :  and  it  is 
one  specially  adapted  to  our  own  times.  The  preva- 
lence of  writing  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  present 
age,  and  the  printed  page  is  every  day  becoming  a 
greater  influence  in  shaping  the  thoughts  and  the  con- 
duct of  mankind.  Through  it  the  voice  of  Christ  can 
be  made  to  sound  like  a  trumpet,  or,  Hke  the  voice  of 
many  waters,  to  murmur  round  the  globe.  Writing, 
therefore,  no  less  than  preaching,  may  be  a  service 
done  to  Christ,  and  it  ought  to  be  carried  on  with 
the  same  purity  of  motive  and  the  same  devotion. 
Nor  ought  the  sense  of  responsibility  to  be  confined 
to  religious  writing.  For  good  or  evil,  no  influence 
goes  deeper  than  that  of  written  words,  whether  they 
appear  in  letter,  journal,  book,  or  any  other  form;  and, 
as  in  every  activity  of  life  it  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian 
man  to  aim  at  the  glory  of  God,  so  in  this  one  also 
ought  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega. 


THE   WRITINGS    OF   ST.   JOHN.  1 69 


THE  WRITINGS  OF  ST.  JOHN. 


XLVII. 


There  is  no  kind  of  influence  more  penetrative  and 
enduring  than  that  which  is  vouchsafed  to  the  author 
who  writes  a  book  which  the  world  will  not  let  die ; 
"for  books  are  not  absolutely  dead  things,  but  do 
contain  a  progeny  of  life  in  them  to  be  as  active  as  that 
soul  was  whose  progeny  they  are ;  nay,  they  do  pre- 
serve as  in  a  vial  the  purest  efficacy  and  extraction  of 

that  living  intellect  that  bred  them A  good  book  is 

the  precious  life-blood  of  a  master-spirit,  embalmed  and 
treasured  up  on  purpose  to  a  life  beyond  life." 

When  we  consider  how  obscure  was  the  corner  in 
which  St.  John  was  born  and  how  humble  the  calling 
to  which  he  was  bred,  we  cannot  but  wonder  that  it 
should  have  been  given  to  him  to  write  books  which 
have  already  lasted  for  nearly  two  thousand  years  and 
yet  appear  to  have  only  commenced  their  career  of 
usefulness.  That  St.  Paul,  when  he  became  a  new 
man,  should  have  served  the  cause  of  Christianity  with 
his  pen  cannot  cause  any  surprise,  because  he  was  an 
educated  man  :  but  St.  John  had  never  learned.  It  re- 
minds us  of  the  confession  of  John  Bunyan  in  the 
beginning  of  his  autobiography :  "  For  my  descent,  it 
was,  as  is  well-known  by  many,  of  a  low  and  incon- 
siderable generation ;  my  father's  house  being  of  that 


170        THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

rank  which  is  meanest  and  most  despised  of  all  the 
families  in  the  land."  Yet — and  strange  it  is  to  think 
of  it — among  all  the  thousands  who  have  been  educated 
in  our  universities  from  century  to  century  none  have, 
in'the  charm  of  their  style  or  the  value  of  their  matter, 
surpassed  the  tinker's  son  ;  of  whom  a  critic  of  the  rank 
of  Coleridge  has  written :  "  I  know  of  no  book,  the 
Bible  excepted,  which  I,  according  to  my  judgment 
and  experience,  could  so  safely  recommend,  as  teaching 
and  enforcing  the  whole  saving  truth  according  to  the 
mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus,  as  the  Pilgrim's  Pro- 
gress." The  literature  of  Germany  has  a  marvel  some- 
what similar  to  exhibit :  Jacob  Boehme  was  all  his  life 
nothing  better  than  a  working  shoemaker,  yet  three 
hundred  years  after  his  death  he  can  be  spoken  of  as 
"  the  greatest  of  the  mystics  and  the  father  of  German 
philosophy."  Philosophers  like  Schelling  and  Hegel 
have  paid  tribute  to  his  genius,  the  latter  calling  him 
"  a  man  of  a  mighty  mind  ;"  and  a  living  countryman 
of  our  own  says  of  his  writings :  "  I  wade  in  and  in,  to 
the  utmost  of  my  ability,  and  still  there  rise  up  above 
me  and  stretch  out  around  me  and  sink  down  beneath 
me  vast  reaches  of  revelation  and  speculation,  attain- 
ment and  experience,  before  which  I  can  only  wonder 
and  worship ....  Boehme,  almost  more  than  any  other 
man  whatsoever,  is  carried  up  till  he  moves  like  a  holy 
angel  or  a  glorified  saint  among  things  unseen  and 
eternal.  He  is  of  the  race  of  the  seers,  and  he  stands 
out  a  very  prince  among  them.  He  is  full  of  eyes,  and 
all  his  eyes  are  full  of  Hght." 

Examples  like  these  remind  us  that  there   is  no 


THE   WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN.  I /I 

rank  of  life  so  lowly  or  corner  of  the  world  so  obscure 
as  to  be  inaccessible  to  the  light  of  the  glorious  mystery 
of  existence.  No  mind  and  no  lot  need  be  common- 
place, if  only  the  heart  be  opened  to  the  beauty  and 
the  truth  with  which  it  is  surrounded.  Among  the 
poor,  if  this  awakening  comes  at  all,  it  generally  is  due 
to  the  touch  of  religion.  And,  as  regards  St.  John,  it 
was  obviously  by  the  influence  of  Christ  that  his  sen- 
sibilities were  quickened,  and  it  was  by  the  exigencies 
of  the  work  of  Christ,  in  which  he  was  engaged,  that 
his  slumbering  powers  were  called  into  exercise. 

In  his  writings  there  are  manifest  traces  of  the  un- 
learned man.  More  than  once  he  betrays  his  impatience 
in  the  use  of  "  paper  and  ink,"  Hke  one  unaccustomed 
to  composition.  The  Greek  of  his  earliest  book  is 
decidedly  peculiar ;  and,  although  his  prolonged  res- 
idence in  Ephesus  improved  his  language,  he  avoids 
even  in  his  latest  writings  all  the  complexities  of  literary 
style,  having  formed  for  himself  a  dialect  of  extreme 
simplicity.  Yet  through  the  imperfections  of  his  lan- 
guage the  originality  and  majesty  of  his  thoughts  do 
not  fail  to  find  a  way.  The  ancient  Church  called  him 
the  eagle,  meaning  that  among  the  writers  of  the  Bible 
he  is  the  one  who  soars  highest  and  is  able  to  gaze 
most  steadily  upon  the  sun  of  truth.  They  called  him 
also  Epistethius,  the  Recumbent  One ;  meaning  that, 
not  only  once  or  twice,  but  always  he  was  lying  on  the 
bosom  of  Jesus  and  listening  to  the  beating  of  His 
heart.  To  St.  John  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Truth,  eternal 
and  absolute,  issuing  from  the  Father  to  be  the  Light 
of  the  world ;  and  in  this  sunlight  John  lived  contin- 


172         THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

ually.  But  at  the  same  time  Christ  was  the  Love,  in- 
finite and  absolute,  in  contact  with  which  the  apostle's 
heart  was  filled  with  satisfaction  and  ever  fresh  desire. 
And,  as  Truth  and  Love  in  one.  He  was  to  him  the  Life 
eternal.  It  was  by  this  unwearied  intuition  of  Christ 
and  by  absorbing  love  to  him  that  St.  John  was  made 
a  writer ;  for  in  writing,  as  elsewhere, 

"  It  is  the  heart,  and  not  the  brain, 
That  to  the  highest  doth  attain ;  ;  ___ 

And  he  who  followeth  love's  behest 
Far  exceedeth  all  the  rest." 


THE  WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN.  1 73 


XLVIII. 

The  writings  of  St.  John  belong  to  three  species  : 
one  is  an  Apocalypse,  one  is  a  Gospel,  and  three  are 
Letters. 

Although  the  Book  of  Revelation  stands  last  in 
the  Bible  it  is  undoubtedly  the  first  of  St.  John's  writ- 
ings. This  is  indicated  in  the  book  itself,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  which  he  gives  an  account  of  his  call  to  the 
work  of  authorship  ;  and  there  are  many  other  indica- 
tions of  the  same  thing.  The  book  exhibits  the  apostle's 
mind  at  an  early  stage  of  development,  when  it  was 
furnished  with  materials  of  which  it  was  subsequently 
to  a  large  extent  displenished.  Indeed,  so  vast  is  the 
contrast  between  the  storm  and  stress  with  which  this 
book  is  filled  and  the  serenity  of  St.  John's  later  writ- 
ings that  it  has  been  doubted  by  many  whether  they 
can  have  proceeded  from  the  same  mind.  But  the 
providential  experiences  through  which  St.  John  lived 
were  of  a  very  revolutionary  order,  and  his  was  a  nature 
capable  of  passing  from  extreme  excitement  to  supreme 
tranquillity. 

The  mind  of  the  writer  of  the  Book  of  Revelation 
is  dominated  by  two  events  of  the  most  agitating  im- 
port— the  Neronian  Persecution  and  the  Fall  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

The  first  heathen  persecution  of  Christianity  took 
place  at  Rome  at  the  hands  of  the  Emperor  Nero,  and 
it  was  of  a  terrible  description.      The  Christians  were 


174        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS   LOVED. 

accused  of  setting  fire  to  the  city  and  thus  causing  a 
calamity  which  had  inspired  the  inhabitants  with  be- 
wildering terror.  Popular  feeling  was  thus  let  loose 
against  the  obscure  foreign  sect,  and  the  wildest  ex- 
cesses of  cruelty  were  perpetrated.  Many  were  thrown 
to  wild  beasts  in  the  amphitheatre,  and  others  were  en- 
closed in  sacks  full  of  pitch  and,  being  stuck  on  poles, 
were  burned  to  illuminate  the  gardens  opened  by  the 
Emperor  to  appease  his  excited  subjects.  Some  sup- 
pose that  St.  John  was  in  Rome  at  the  time  and  wit- 
nessed these  atrocities ;  but,  whether  he  was  or  not,  it 
is  easy  to  understand  what  an  effect  they  must  have 
produced  on  his  sensitive  heart  ;  and  the  mental  ex- 
citement into  which  he  was  thrown  deeply  colored  his 
writing  in  Revelation. 

The  other  influence  under  which  he  wrote  was  the 
emotion  caused  by  the  approaching  fall  of  Jerusalem. 
The  Jews  had  attempted  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  their 
Roman  masters,  who  thereupon  advanced  against  them 
with  irresistible  force,  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the 
Jewish  state  out  of  existence.  From  province  to 
province  and  town  to  town  the  destruction  swept,  till 
Jerusalem  was  girdled  round  with  the  besieging  army; 
and  the  city  fell  after  months  of  suffering,  during  which 
scenes  of  horror  and  carnage  had  been  enacted  such  as 
humanity  has  hardly  ever  witnessed  elsewhere.  This 
took  place  in  the  year  70  A.  D.,  and  St.  John's  book 
was  probably  writen  a  year  or  two  earlier. 

It  is  in  form  an  Apocalypse — a  literary  form  at 
that  time  greatly  cultivated  among  the  Jews.  One 
book  of  the  Old  Testament — the  prophecy  of  Daniel — 


THE   WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN.  1/5 

is  written  in  it ;  but  in  the  period  between  the  Old 
Testament  and  the  New  many  books  of  this  species 
appeared,  the  most  notable  of  them  being  the  Book  of 
Enoch,  which  still  survives.  As  the  name  implies,  an 
Apocalypse  is  a  disclosure  ol  the  secret  purposes  of 
God.  In  the  fifth  chapter  of  Revelation  a  book  is  seen 
in  heaven  sealed  with  seven  seals,  which  none  in  heav- 
en or  earth  can  open ;  but  the  Lion  of  the  Tribe  of 
Judah  prevails  to  open  the  book  and  to  loose  the  seals 
thereof.  This  is  the  Book  of  fate,  or  rather  of  Provi- 
dence ;  and,  as  seal  after  seal  is  broken,  the  secrets  of 
Providence  are  successively  made  known.  After  the 
seven  seals  ensues  the  blowing  of  seven  trumpets,  with 
a  similar  import,  and  this  is  succeeded  by  the  pouring 
out  of  seven  vials,  in  the  same  sense.  The  disclosures 
made  by  the  seven  seals,  the  seven  trumpets  and 
the  seven  vials  form  the  body  of  the  book.  The 
whole  is  extremely  obscure,  and,  as  is  well-known,  no 
portion  of  Scripture  has  given  rise  to  such  diversity  of 
interpretation,  some  interpreting  it  as  referring  to  the 
events  then  happening  in  St.  John's  own  experience, 
others  as  descriptive  of  the  entire  course  of  human 
history  from  that  date  onwards,  and  still  others  as  giv- 
ing information  of  what  will  happen  at  the  end  of  the 
world. 

It  is  possible  that  the  author  was  compelled  to  be 
obscure ;  because,  if  he  had  expressed  his  ideas  in  plain 
language,  he  would  have  exposed  both  himself  and  his 
fellow-Christians  to  the  persecuting  rage  of  the  Roman 
government,  which  extended  also  to  Ephesus,  where  he 
was.     If,  for  instance,  the  Beast  to  which   he  refers  as 


176  THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

the  supreme  enemy  of  the  Church  be,  as  many  suppose, 
the  Emperor  Nero,  it  is  obvious  that  he  could  only 
have  referred  to  him  in  terms  carefully  veiled. 

Bewilderingly  obscure,  however,  as  many  chapters 
of  the  Revelation  are,  no  book  has  ever  more  fully 
served  its  purpose.  This  is  to  prove  that  there  is  a 
Providence  in  human  affairs  which  is  on  the  side  of 
righteousness,  and,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  in- 
fernal and  bestial  elements  in  the  world,  will  secure  the 
final  triumh  of  Christianity.  This  great  lesson  can  be 
read  on  every  page  ;  in  periods  of  persecution  the  book 
has  always  been  a  consolation  to  the  Church,  and  it 
will  always  have  an  office  to  fulfil.  Of  course  there  are 
other  passages,  such  as  the  Epistles  to  the  Seven 
Churches,  the  teaching  of  which  is  perfectly  plain  ;  and 
to  this  book  the  world  is  largely  indebted  for  the 
imagery  in  which  it  conceives  the  Christian  heaven. 


THE  WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN  1 7/ 


XLIX. 

Of  St.  John's  later  writings  we  do  not  know  for 
certain  which  was  first,  but  probably  it  was  his  Gospel. 
A  v/hole  generation  had  intervened  between  his  first 
book  and  his  second,  and  in  the  interval  he  had  greatly- 
changed.  The  atmosphere  of  the  Gospel  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  Revelation.  The  Fall  of  Jeru- 
salem had  happened  in  the  meantime,  and  this  had 
created  a  revolution  in  the  minds  of  Christians.  It 
proclaimed  with  the  irresistible  voice  of  destiny  that  the 
old  dispensation,  with  its  temple,  rites  and  limitations, 
had  passed  away,  and  that  a  new  era  had  dawned  upon 
the  world.  It  cut  Jewish  Christians  loose  from  a  thou- 
sand prepossessions  and  caused  them  to  realize  how  free 
and  universal  a  thing  Christianity  was  to  be.  In  the 
Book  of  Revelation  St.  John  is  still  entangled  in  Jewish 
imagery,  hopes,  claims,  and  modes  of  thought,  but  in 
the  Gospel  he  has  moved  out  into  the  wide  and  sunny 
ocean  of  humanity. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  old  age  of  the  aposde  the 
presbyters  of  Ephesus  begged  him  to  commit  to  writ- 
ing his  recollections  of  his  Master,  lest  the  precious 
treasures  of  his  memory,  by  which  they  had  often  prof- 
ited, should  be  lost.  Nothing  could  be  more  probable 
than  this,  but  tradition  has  added,  in  its  exaggerative 
way,  that  he  thereupon  at  once,  in  an  access  of  inspiradon, 
began  to  recite  the  opening  verses  of  his  Gospel  — "  In 
12 


178  THE   DISCIPLE  WHOM   JESUS  LOVED. 

the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  God."  This  reminds  me  of 
a  picture  of  St.  John  1  have  seen,  from  the  pencil  of 
one  of  the  old  masters,  in  which  he  is  represented  as 
having  just  written  these  words,  when  he  pauses  and 
lays  down  the  pen,  gazing  awestruck  at  the  characters 
v/hich  express  a  meaning  far  beyond  his  own  power  of 
comprehension. 

The  Gospels  of  St.  Matthew,  St.  Mark,  and  St. 
Luke  were,  of  course,  by  this  tim.e  in  existence,  and 
probably  they  were  well  known  both  to  the  apostle  and 
his  fellow  presbyters ;  but  his  reminiscences  covered 
different  grounds  from  theirs.  This  was  one  reason 
for  which  he  wrote — to  supplement  their  information. 
He  passes  over  many  things  narrated  by  them,  though 
he  takes  them  for  granted,  and,  indeed,  his  narrative 
but  seldom  runs  parallel  with  theirs.  It  is  from  him 
we  learn  that  the  public  ministry  of  Christ  lasted  for- 
three  years,  whereas  from  the  Synoptists  we  should 
have  inferred  that  it  lasted  but  one.  The  reason  is  that 
they  confine  themselves,  except  at  the  last,  to  the 
Lord's  movements  in  Galilee,  whereas  St.  John  nar- 
rates in  great  detail  His  visits  to  Jerusalem,  which  they 
have  omitted.  They  describe  his  life  in  public,  his 
miracles,  his  parables  to  the  multitude;  he  commemo- 
rates his  interviews  with  individuals.  The  Synop- 
tists supply  the  exterior  Hfe  of  Christ,  St.  John  the 
interior. 

There  must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  have  been  a 
Christ  different  from  the  one  seen  by  the  multitude, 
and  St.  John,  by  the  make  of  his  mind  and  the  course 


THE   WRITINGS   OF  ST.   JOHN.  I/g 

of  his  experience,  was  the  man  to  delineate  this  hidden 
Christ.  He  had  been  with  him  oftener  than  any  other ; 
he  had  caught  shades  of  his  meaning  which  others  had 
missed  ;  he  treasured  his  rarest  and  most  private  say- 
ings. 

In  St.  John  Jesus  not  only  draws  upon  a  larger 
circle  of  ideas  than  in  the  Synoptists,  but  speaks  with 
a  different  accent ;  and  the  question  has  often  been 
asked  whether  He  is  not  made  to  speak  with  the  Johan- 
nine  accent.  Here  and  there,  after  reporting  a  speech 
of  his  Master,  the  evangelist  goes  on  to  write  down 
reflections  of  his  own,  without  indicating  where  Christ's 
words  cease  and  his  own  begin.  Is  this  an  indication 
that  he  knows  his  own  ideas  to  be  so  completely  iden- 
tical with  Christ's,  and  due  to  Christ,  that  he  did  not 
feel  the  necessity  of  distinguishing  exactly  between 
what  he  remembered  and  what  he  himself  had 
thought  ? 

The  picture  of  Socrates  presented  in  the  Dialogues 
of  Plato  differs  from  the  biography  of  him  given  by 
Xenophon  in  a  manner  not  unlike  the  way  in 
which  the  discourses  in  St.  John  differ  from  those 
of  the  Synoptists.  Plato  idealized  his  master,  be- 
ing conscious  that  his  own  thoughts  were  a  legit- 
imate development  from  those  of  Socrates.  Per- 
haps, to  some  extent,  the  same  may  have  been  the 
case  with  St.  John ;  but,  if  so,  the  freedom  with  which 
he  acted  was  due  to  the  certainty  of  his  own  inspira- 
tion. 

In  his  lifetime  Jesus  had  said  :  "  I  have  yet  many 
things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now ; 


l8o        THE  DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

howbeit,  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  he  will 
guide  you  into  all  truth."  And  St.  John  was  so  satisfied 
that  this  had  been  fulfilled  in  his  experience  that  he 
could  freely  give  the  sense  of  his  Master  without 
painful  scrupulosity  about  its  form. 


THE   WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN.  l8l 


There  was  probably  also  another  reason  for  the 
writing  of  St.  John's  Gospel.  It  is  well  known  that 
we  owe  the  most  of  the  writings  of  St.  Paul  indirectly 
to  the  false  teachers  with  whom  he  had  to  contend ; 
because  they  provoked  him  by  their  opposition  and 
false  accusations,  and  he  blazed  forth  against  them 
with  fiery  and  irresistible  statements  of  the  truth.  At 
the  time  the  necessity  was  grievous  to  him,  but  the 
work  has  reaped  from  it  unspeakable  advantage.  The 
discussions  and  the  heresies  of  St.  Paul's  day  had  been 
left  behind  by  the  time  St.  John  wrote  his  Gospel,  but 
others  had  arisen  in  their  stead.  From  his  epistles  we 
learn  that  his  righteous  soul,  too,  was  vexed  with  false 
teachers,  who  endeavored  to  entice  his  converts  away 
from  the  truth.  These  are  generally  understood  to 
have  been  the  precursors  of  those  who  were  known 
later  as  Gnostics ;  and  the  drifts  of  their  speculations 
was  to  obscure  either  the  true  divinity  or  the  true 
humanity  of  Christ,  while  in  practice  they  warped  the 
plain  rules  of  righteousness  and  purity. 

If  St.  John  wrote  his  Gospel  with  such  opponents 
before  his  eyes,  there  may  have  been  for  him  and  his 
first  readers  in  many  a  verse  a  peculiar  emphasis  which 
is  now  lost  to  us.  This  may  especially  have  been  the 
case  with  the  great  verse  in  which  he  explains  the  pur- 
pose of  his  writings  :  "  These  are  written,  that  ye  might 
believe  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and 


1 82        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM   JESUS   LOVED. 

that,  believing,  ye  might  have  hfe  through  his  name." 
His  purpose  was  to  prove,  first,  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ — that  is,  that  he  was  the  Heir  and  the  Fulfiller 
of  the  Old  Testament.  Although  St.  John  was  by  this 
time  liberated  from  the  Jewish  prepossessions,  the  Old 
Testament  was  still  for  him  a  divine  revelation  and  the 
ancient  history  a  preparation  for  the  Messiah.  But,  in 
order  to  sustain  the  office  of  Messiah,  Jesus  had  to  be  far 
more  than  those  supposed  who  had  on  their  lips  the 
name  of  the  Messiah  they  were  expecting  :  to  sustain  the 
mighty  load  of  human  salvation  only  one  Being  in  the 
universe  v/as  sufficient;  and  therefore  God* 'gave  his 
only  begotten  Son."  The  second  thing  which  St.  John 
wrote  his  Gospel  to  prove  was  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God.  This  truth  is  not  peculiar  to  him,  nor  was  it 
first  made  known  in  his  Gospel.  It  is  the  common 
faith  of  all  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament.  It  un- 
derlies the  testimony  of  the  Synoptists ;  St.  Paul  glories 
in  it ;  the  author  of  the  Episde  to  the  Hebrews  states 
it  expHcitly.  But  St.  John  was  able  to  bear  more  em- 
phatic and  authoritative  witness  to  it  than  any  other 
figure  of  the  apostoHc  age ;  and  this  he  does  especially 
in  his  Gospel.  "  We  beheld  his  glory,"  he  says  in  the 
prologue,  "  the  glory  of  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Fa- 
ther, full  of  grace  and  truth ;"  and  the  whole  book  is 
an  endeavor  to  let  others  see  v/hat  he  had  seen.  It 
is  a  succession  of  unveilings  of  the  glory  of  the  Only 
Begotten.  He  does  not  make  use  of  all  his  materials. 
For  example,  he  only  gives  seven  miracles;  but  these 
are  chosen  as  typical  and  conclusive.  The  whole  book 
is  a  cumulative  proof  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God. 


THE   WRITINGS    OF   ST.   JOHN.  1 83 

Yet  St.  John's  aim  is  not  merely  theoretical :  there 
is  an  ulterior  object,  expressed  in  the  words,  "  and  that, 
believing,  ye  might  have  life  through  his  name."  He 
meant  his  readers  not  only  to  assent  to  the  demon- 
stration of  Christ's  claims,  but  to  receive  him  as  their 
life.  And  the  whole  story  is  so  told  as  to  show  how 
those  who  received  him  for  what  he  claimed  to  be  were 
blessed  with  eternal  life,  while  those  who  did  not  re-* 
ceive  him  were  more  and  more  hardened  in  their  sin, 
until  their  guilt  culminated  in  the  murder  of  the  Prince 
of  Life. 


1 84        THE  DISCIPLE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED. 


LI. 


Of  the  epistolary  species  of  writing  we  possess 
three  specimens  from  the  pen  of  St.  John. 

Two  of  these,  his  second  and  third  Epistles,  are 
simply  short  private  letters,  which  have  fortunately 
been  rescued  from  oblivion  to  give  a  vivid  glimpse 
into  the  life  of  that  distant  age  as  it  was  being  formed 
by  Christianity. 

One  of  them  is  addressed  to  a  person  styled  "  the 
elect  lady,"  or,  as  it  may  be  translated,  "  the  lady 
Electa  "  or  "  the  elect  Kyria."  St.  John  had  met  some 
of  her  children  at  the  house  of  a  sister  of  hers,  and, 
finding  them  to  be  decided  Christians,  he  writes  to  the 
mother  a  few  warm  words  of  congratulation,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  opportunity  at  the  same  time  to  warn 
her  against  the  abuse  of  her  Christian  hospitality  by 
wandering  teachers  who  were  not  genuine  servants  of 
Christ.  One  of  the  features  of  early  Christianity  was 
the  number  of  refined  and  high-toned  women  who 
found  in  it  satisfaction  for  the  aspirations  of  the  heart. 
It  is  easy  to  understand  how  an  aged  'saint  with  the 
qualities  of  St.  John  should  have  been  a  friend  and 
confidant  in  homes  over  which  such  women  presided. 
His  interest  in  the  young  people  is  extremely  noticeable 
and  characteristic  ;  for  he  speaks  with  warmth  not  only 
of  the  children  of  the  lady  to  whom  he  writes,  but  also 
of  the  children  of  her  sister,  with  whom  he  was  staying. 


THE   WRITINGS   OF   ST.   JOHN.  1 8$ 

The  other  little  note  is  addressed  to  a  gentleman  ; 
and  its  purpose  is  to  commend  to  his  attention  certain 
evangelists  who  were  about  to  visit  the  town  in  which 
he  resided.  It  reminds  us  of  St.  Paul's  brief  Epistle 
to  Philemon  ;  and,  like  it,  suppUes  a  specimen  of  apos- 
tolic courtesy,  as  well  as  a  glimpse  of  the  changes 
which  Christianity  was  introducing  into  the  social  re- 
lationships. 

The  remaining  letter,  St.  John's  first  Episde,  is  ol 
quite  a  different  character.  It  is  not  long,  but  it  is 
more  a  short  treatise  than  a  letter  in  the  common  ac- 
ceptation of  the  term.  It  has  not,  like  St.  Paul's  epis  - 
ties,  a  superscription  designating  the  writer  and  the 
recipients.  It  has  been  suggested  that  it  was  written 
at  the  same  time  as  the  Gospel  and  intended  to  accom- 
pany it  as  an  envoi,  and  this  notion  has  a  great  deal  to 
recommend  it.  For  instance,  the  opening  words, 
"  That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have 
heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we 
have  looked  upon  and  our  hands  have  handled  of  the 
Word  of  life,"  are  far  Hker  a  description  of  the  Gospel 
than  of  the  contents  of  the  Episde  which  follows.  The 
whole  composiuon  would  serve  admirably  as  a  com- 
panion-piece to  the  Gospel,  to  explain  its  drift  and 
enforce  the  practical  objects  for  which  it  was  written. 

It  exhibits  the  aposde's  leading  ideas  more  clearly, 
perhaps,  than  even  the  Gospel ;  at  least  it  does  so  in 
a  space  so  narrow  that  they  cannot  be  overlooked. 
St.  John  has  not,  hke  St.  Paul,  long  arguments  and 
doctrinal  statements,  but  he  has  watchwords  which  he 
is  constantly  repeating.     Truth,  light,  life,  love — these 


1 86        THE   DISCIPLE   WHOM  JESUS   LOVED. 

are  to  him  the  priceless  possessions.  They  are  all  in 
God.  Here  v/e  find  again  and  again  the  statement, 
*'  God  is  love,"  the  greatest  sentence  which  man  ever 
uttered.  All  these  possessions,  however,  and  God 
himself,  are  brought  nigh  to  men  in  Christ,  and  it  is  by- 
abiding  in  him  that  we  enjoy  them.  In  this  blessed- 
ness St.  John  had  lived  for  a  lifetime,  and  the  purpose 
of  his  writings  was  that  others  might  have  fellowship 
in  the  same  blessedness. 

Perhaps,  however,  the  chief  purpose  of  the  Epistle 
is  to  be  found  in  the  many  earnest  exhortations  it  con- 
tains in  reference  to  the  behavior  of  those  who  profess 
to  belong  to  Christ — not  to  sin,  but  to  keep  his  com- 
mandments; not  to  yield  to  the  enticements  of  the 
world  or  to  fear  its  hatred ;  to  love  the  brethren  and 
take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  of  doing  them 
good.  *'  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  Him  ought  him- 
self so  to  walk  even  as  He  walked." 


ST.  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


ST.  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH   AND   UPBRINGING. 

Luke  1 :  5-80 

The  birth  of  the  Baptist  is  woven  along  with  that 
of  Jesus  into  one  exquisite  story,  in  which  we  learn  how 
his  father,  when  offering  incense  in  the  temple,  was  in- 
formed, through  an  apparition  of  the  angel  Gabriel,  of 
the  approaching  event,  but  was  struck  dumb  for  his 
unbelief;  how  the  virgin  Mary,  after  being  informed  by 
the  same  angel  of  her  impending  destiny,  paid  a  length- 
ened visit  to  her  cousin  Elizabeth  on  the  eve  of  the 
Baptist's  birth,  and  the  two  holy  women  affectionately 
greeted  each  other;  and  how,  at  the  circumcising  of 
the  child,  the  tongue  of  the  father  was  loosed,  so  that  he 
was  able  to  tell  the  name  which  his  son  was  to  bear,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  break  forth  into  a  hymn  of  praise  for 
the  honor  conferred  on  his  family. 

Great  difficulties  have  been  felt  by  Christian  schol- 
ars about  this  story,  but  these  are  considerably  reheved 
when  we  perceive  the  truths  which  it  embodies. 

The  first  of  these  is  that  the  Baptist's  was  a  pre- 
destined life. 

It  was  to  emphasize  this  fact  that  the  element  of 


190  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

miracle  was  allowed  to  enter  so  largely  into  the  circum- 
stances of  his  birth.  When  events  take  place  in  the  or- 
dinary course  of  nature  we  are  apt  to  overlook  their 
significance;  and  hence  it  has  seemed  meet  to  the 
Creator  som.etimes  to  accompany  his  v/orking  with  cir- 
cumstances so  unusual  as  to  arouse  attention  and  make 
the  truth  so  plain  as  to  be  unmistakable. 

The  parents  were  old  and  had  ceased  to  have  the 
hope  of  children.  In  similar  circumstances,  the  "father 
of  the  faithful,"  in  times  remote,  received  the  promise  of 
a  son;  and  the  special  favor  of  God,  thus  indicated, 
heightened  his  sense  of  gratitude  and  strained  his  an- 
ticipations to  the  utmost  as  to  the  issues  bound  up  in 
his  son's  life.  Zacharias  and  Elizabeth,  in  like  manner, 
must  have  felt  that  their  child  was  in  a  pecuHar  way  a 
gift  of  God,  and  that  a  special  importance  was  to  attach 
to  his  life.  When  anything  has  been  long  desired,  but 
hope  of  ever  obtaining  it  has  died  out  of  the  heart,  and 
yet,  after  all,  it  is  given,  the  gift  appears  infinitely  greater 
than  it  would  have  done  if  received  at  the  time  when  it 
was  expected.  The  real  reason,  however,  why  in  this 
case  the  gift  was  withheld  so  long  was  that  the  hour  of 
Providence  had  not  come.  The  fulness  of  time  when 
the  Messiah  should  appear,  and  therefore  when  his 
forerunner  should  come  into  the  world,  was  settled  in 
the  divine  plan  and  could  not  be  altered  by  an  hour. 
Therefore  had  Zacharias  and  his  wife  to  wait. 

As  a  rule,  the  naming  of  children  takes  place  in 
haphazard  fashion,  the  child  receiving  a  certain  name 
simply  because  some  relative  has  borne  it  before  him  or 
because  the  sound  has  pleased  the  fancy  of  father  or 


BIRTH   AND    UPBRINGING.  I9I 

mother,  or  for  some  similar  reason.  But  on  tliis  occa- 
sion the  name  was  divinely  decided  beforehand ;  and 
this  v/as  another  indication  that  this  child  was  created 
for  a  special  purpose.  The  name  John  signifies  The 
Lord  is  favorable,  or,  put  more  briefly,  The  Gift  of  God. 
He  was  a  gift  to  his  parents,  but  also  to  far  wider  cir- 
cles— to  his  country  and  to  mankind. 

Not  only  was  this  child  to  be  a  gift,  but  he  was  to 
be  gifted ;  so  the  father  was  informed :  "  He  shall  be 
great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  To  be  a  great  man  is 
the  ambition  of  every  child  of  Adam  ;  and  the  thought 
of  having  as  a  son  one  who  is  a  great  man  is  a  sugges- 
tion which  thrills  every  parent's  heart.  Greatness  is, 
indeed,  an  ambiguous  word.  Who  is  great  ?  To  be 
notorious,  to  be  much  in  the  mouths  of  men,  to  have  a 
name  which  is  a  household  word — that  is  the  superfi- 
cial conception  of  greatness.  But  such  greatness  may 
be  very  paltry ;  to  as  much  greatness  as  this  multitudes 
of  the  meanest  and  most  worthless  of  mankind  have  at- 
tained. But  John  was  to  be  great  "  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord."  This  is  a  different  matter  :  it  implies  not  only 
genuine  gifts,  but  gifts  employed  for  other  than  selfish 
ends. 

Not  only,  however,  was  it  indicated  in  general  that 
this  child  was  to  be  a  great  man  ;  but  the  special  task 
was  specified  in  which  his  gifts  were  to  be  employed. 
He  was  to  be  a  prophet :  ''  He  shall  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  from  his  mother's  womb,  and  many  of  the 
children  of  Israel  will  he  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God." 
To  be  a  prophet  had  in  that  country  long  been  the 
height  of  human  ambition.      Yet  even  this  was  not  the 


192  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

summit  of  the  honor  intended  for  the  son  of  Zacharias. 
An  honor  far  above  what  any  prophet  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament— even  an  Elijah  or  Isaiah — had  attained  was  to 
be  vouchsafed  to  hirn  :  to  be  the  forerunner  ;  going  be- 
fore the  Messiah  to  prepare  his  way. 

If  this  was  really  the  destiny  of  John  it  will  not 
appear  very  surprising  that  it  should  have  been  mi- 
raculously revealed  beforehand.  Yet  perhaps  the  chief 
lesson  which  we  have  to  learn  from  the  miracle  is  not 
that  the  birth  of  John  was  exceptional,  but  rather  that 
every  birth  is  more  wonderful  than  we  are  apt  to  sup- 
pose. God  saw  fit  to  accompany  his  working  in  some 
cases  with  miracle,  making  his  meaning  unmistakable, 
in  order  that  we  might  learn  to  take  his  meaning 
always.  Every  life  is  predestinated.  It  is  not  by 
chance  that  anyone  is  born  at  a  particular  time  and 
in  a  particular  place.  In  the  period  which  his  life  cov- 
ers and  in  the  place  where  his  lot  is  cast  everyone  has 
an  appointed  work  to  do  and  a  place  to  fill  in  the  di- 
vine plan ;  and  his  gifts  are  measured  out  by  the  divine 
hand  to  enable  him  to  fulfill  his  destiny.  "  In  my  cra- 
dle," said  a  great  poet  of  our  own  century,  "  lay  the 
map  of  my  line  of  march,  marked  out  for  my  whole 
life." 

But,  if  this  be  so,  what  becomes  of  human  freedom  ? 
it  may  be  asked.  And  this  objection  has  actually  been 
urged  against  this  story.  If,  it  is  said,  God  knew 
beforehand  what  John's  course  in  the  world  was  to  be 
John  could  not  have  been  a  free  agent.  But  this  diffi- 
culty will  not  dismay  us.  It  is  only  by  means  of 
human  cooperation  that  the  divine  purpose  in  any  life 


BIRTH   AND    UPBRINGING.  I93 

can  be  fulfilled.  Anyone  also  may  frustrate  the  grace 
of  God.  Multitudes  do  so — and  not  seldom  the  most 
gifted.  The  light  of  genius  is  to  them  a  light  that 
leads  astray ;  their  talents  are  misspent,  and  become  a 
curse  instead  of  a  blessing:  and  they  will  appear  be- 
fore the  judgment-seat  with  the  work  undone  for  which 
they  were  created.  It  is  just  such  a  great  life  as 
John's  which  brings  home  to  the  mind  the  full  extent 
of  this  danger.  What  if  he  had  failed?  What  if, 
yielding  to  the  passions  of  youth  or  the  temptations 
of  the  world,  he  had  quenched  the  Spirit  and,  instead 
of  being  a  prophet,  to  lead  his  fellowmen  up  to  God, 
had  been  a  ringleader  in  evil,  using  the  force  and  fasci- 
nation of  his  genius  to  lead  men  down  the  broad  road  I 
Is  it  conceivable  that  he  was  never  tempted  ?  that  he 
never  stood  trembling  at  the  parting  of  the  ways  ?  Is 
it  credible  that  the  preacher  of  repentance  did  not 
know  the  fascination  of  sin  ?  No  man  attains  to  a  life 
of  honor  and  usefulness  without  passing  through  the 
crisis  of  decision  and  fighting  many  a  battle  with  the 
world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  It  may  not  matter  so 
much  to  the  world  whether  or  not  our  life  fails ;  but  it 
matters  as  much  to  ourselves,  for  it  is  the  loss  of  the 
one  chance  of  living,  and  it  is  an  eternal  loss. 

Another  lesson  which  is  charmingly  taught  by 
this  story  is  that  there  are  good  people  in  the  worst 
of  times. 

It  is  in  the  cycle  of  stories  with  which  the  birth 
of  Christ  is  surrounded — and  along  with  them  we 
reckon  the  incidents  connected  with  the  birth   of  the 

The  Disciple,  etc  1 1 


194  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

Baptist — that  we  obtain  by  far  the  most  vivid  ghmpses 
of  the  best  section  of  Jewish  society  in  that  age — die 
Stille7i  im  Lande,  who  were  waiting  for  the  consolation 
of  Israel.  Indeed,  without  this  portion  of  the  evangelic 
records  we  should  have  hardly  any  clear  information 
about  these  hidden  ones  and  their  state  of  mind.  Yet 
they  were  essential  to  the  rise  and  spread  of  Christiani- 
ty; and,  now  that  we  have  the  records,  we  can  see 
that  they  describe  them  exacdy  as  they  must  have 
been. 

It  was  an  evil  time.  The  people  of  God  had  sunk 
very  low  both  in  character  and  in  fortune.  It  was 
the  darkest  hour,  which  occurs  just  before  the  dawn- 
ing. The  nation  was  enslaved  to  the  Roman  power ; 
and  its  own  princes,  of  dubious  origin,  were  the  exact 
reverse  of  the  ideals  of  the  nation's  prime.  The  Phari- 
see and  the  Sadducee  occupied  the  high  places  of 
religion — the  one  as  scribe,  ruling  in  the  synagogue, 
the  other  as  priest,  ruling  in  the  temple.  Life  on  the 
outside  was  thickly  plastered  over  with  pious  rules  and 
practices,  but  on  the  inside  it  was  full  of  dead  men's 
bones.  The  publican,  the  sinner  and  the  harlot  flaunted 
their  vices  in  the  eyes  of  all;  and  the  bitter  critics  of 
these  abandoned  classes  practised  the  same  sins  in 
their  hearts. 

Even  as  one  reads  the  body  of  the  Gospels,  the 
impression  one  receives  is  that,  till  Christ  came  and 
converted  a  few,  piety  was  extinct.  But  this  impres- 
sion is  corrected  by  these  stories  of  the  childhood  of 
Jesus.  As  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  when  the  great  proph- 
et  complained  that  he  was  left  alone  in  the  land,  his 


BIRTH   AND    UPBRINGING..  I95 

countrymen  having  in  a  body  gone  over  to  idolatry, 
God  was  able  to  inform  him  that  there  were  seven 
thousand  in  Israel  who  had  not  bowed  the  knee  to 
Baal,  so  in  this  dark  age  there  were  scattered  saints 
in  every  part  of  the  land — Elizabeths,  Josephs,  Marys, 
Simeons,  Annas — who  were  keeping  the  fire  of  true 
religion  unextinguished.  Even  in  the  temple — the 
focus  of  evil — a  man  was  to  be  found  like  Zacharias, 
who  when  he  had  come  up  to  Jerusalem  in  the  order 
of  his  course  to  fulfil  the  order  of  his  priesthood,  and 
when  he  was  chosen  by  lot  to  burn  incense — the  sign 
that  the  prayers  of  Israel  were  ascending  to  heaven 
at  the  hour  of  prayer — did  not  merely  perform  the 
ceremony,  but  accompanied  the  mechanical  act  with 
such  fervent  intercessions  that  an  archangel  was  at- 
tracted from  heaven  to  assure  him  that  his  prayers 
were  heard. 

In  the  hymn  of  Mary,  when  she  greeted  EHzabeth, 
and  in  the  hymn  of  Zacharias,  when  his  tongue  was 
loosed  on  the  occasion  of  his  child's  circumcision,  we 
are  enabled  to  see  into  the  very  hearts  of  all  who  were 
of  their  way  of  thinking  and  to  recover  the  contents  of 
their  minds. 

The  most  prominent  feature  was  an  intense  patriot- 
ism. They  dwelt  on  the  memories  of  their  country's 
glorious  past,  and  into  their  very  souls  had  entered 
the  iron  of  its  dishonor:  but,  above  all,  they  fed 
their  hopes  on  the  promises  given  to  Abraham  and 
to  David  which  still  awaited  their  fulfilment.  Com- 
bined with  this  was  an  intense  love  for  the  Holy 
Scriptures.      In  them  they  were  brought  into  contact 


196  ST.    JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

with  the  godly  figures  of  the  past  ages,  in  communion 
with  whom  they  found  the  companionship  which  the 
degenerate  generation  by  which  they  were  surrounded 
did  not  afford.  The  hymns  of  Mary  and  Zacharias 
are  saturated  with  the  spirit  and  the  language  of  the 
lyrics  of  the  Old  Testament.  And,  along  with  devo- 
tion to  the  Scriptures,  another  prominent  feature  of 
the  piety  of  these  people  was  prayer.  Assured  that 
God's  promise  could  not  fail  they  ardently  pleaded 
for  the  dawn  of  a  better  day,  and  especially  for  the 
advent  of  the  Messiah.  When  Gabriel  announced  to 
Zacharias  that  his  prayer  was  heard,  it  is  generally 
supposed  he  meant  his  prayer  for  a  son.  But  for 
such  a  gift  Zacharies  had  long  ceased  to  plead:  it 
was  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  he  had  been  pray- 
ing; and  this  was  the  prayer  of  all  like-minded 
people.  Thinly  scattered  throughout  the  population 
they  yet  knew  one  another,  and,  as  occasion  allowed, 
blew  into  flame  the  fire  of  hope  and  devotion  in  one 
another's  hearts.  They  were  for  the  most  part  poor 
and  obscure,  like  Joseph  the  carpenter  or  the  shep- 
herds of  Bethlehem ;  but  they  looked  for  changes 
which  would  reverse  the  judgments  of  the  world  by 
which  they  were  condemned  to  neglect  and  contempt. 
Thus  did  Mary  sing,  "  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty 
from  their  seats,  and  exalted  them  of  low  degree; 
He  hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things,  and  the 
rich  he  hath  sent  empty  away." 

Not  only  are  there  good  people  in  the  worst  of 
times,  but  to  them,  however  few  and  humble  they  may 
be,  the  future  belongs.     Principalities  and  powers  may 


BIRTH  AND   UPBRINGING.  I97 

lord  it  over  them ;  wickedness  in  high  places  may  be 
contemptuous ;  the  notorieties  of  the  hour  may  dazzle 
them  down ;  but  those  in  whose  hearts  and  in  whose 
homes  the  altar-fire  of  truth,  righteousness  and  piety  is 
kept  burning  are  the  true  kings,  and  their  hour  will 
come.  Some  day  there  will  pass  through  their  ranks 
from  mouth  to  mouth  the  cry,  "  To  us  a  Child  is  born, 
to  us  a  Son  is  given,  and  the  government  shall  be  upon 
His  shoulder."  In  these  stories  of  the  childhood  of 
Jesus  we  see  how,  in  a  moment,  the  sadness  of  those 
who  were  clinging  to  principle  and  waiting  for  the  king- 
dom of  God  can  be  turned  into  joy,  and  their  silence 
and  sighing  become  hymns  of  praise.  From  Mary  to 
Zacharias,  from  the  shepherds  to  Simeon  and  Anna, 
the  inspiration  passed ;  and  their  closed  lips  were 
opened  to  hail  the  good  time  that  had  come.  And  this 
is  a  prophecy  of  that  which  will  happen  to  all  who  Hve 
in  the  same  attitude ;  for  "  light  is  sown  for  the  right- 
eous and  gladness  for  the  upright  in  heart." 

A  third  lesson  which  is  taught  by  the  story  of  the 
Baptist's  birth  and  upbringing  is  the  influence  of  parents. 

It  has  been  already  said  that  the  Baptist  might 
himself  have  frustrated  the  purpose  of  God  in  his  life. 
In  order  that  the  divine  plan  might  be  fulfilled  it  was 
necessary  that  his  own  mind  and  will  should  rise  into 
harmony  and  co-operation  with  it.  But  it  was  also  de- 
pendent on  the  sympathy  and  the  efforts  of  his  parents. 
Had  they  not  appreciated  the  design  of  God  in  their 
son's  life,  and  brought  him  up  with  this  in  view,  all 
might  have  been  lost. 


198  ST.   JOHN   THE  BAPTIST. 

The  character  of  Zacharias  and  EHzabeth  is  de- 
scribed in  attractive  terms  :  "  They  were  both  righteous 
before  God,  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  or- 
dinances of  the  Lord  blameless."  The  father  was  a 
priest,  and  so  there  was  an  atmosphere  of  religion  in 
the  home.  But  this  may  not  always  be  an  advan- 
tage. Where  religion  is  a  man's  occupation  there 
must  be  the  form  of  godliness  ;  but  this  may  only 
make  the  contrast  the  more  glaring  between  profession 
and  practice.  The  eyes  of  the  young  are  quick  to  de- 
tect such  inconsistencies ;  and  perhaps  the  most  dan- 
gerous position  in  which  a  young  and  observant  boy 
can  grow  up  is  a  home  where  religion  is  a  trade,  but 
not  a  life.  That  incident  in  the  temple,  however,  already 
referred  to,  proves  that  Zacharias'  religion  had  an  in- 
side as  well  as  an  outside.  When  he  was  offering  in- 
cense, he  was  at  the  same  time  offering  what  the  incense 
symbolized — fervent  prayer.  Besides,  the  hymn  of  the 
father  and  the  greeting  of  the  mother  to  Mary  show 
that  both  were  acquainted  with  the  poetry  of  religion. 
Their  religion  was  a  faithful  discharge  of  duty ;  but  it 
was  not  all  duty ;  it  was  a  passion  and  an  enthusiasm  as 
well.  It  is  said  of  them  both  that  they  were  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  the  kind  of  religion  that  wins 
young  hearts — where  they  see  that  it  is  not  a  yoke,  but 
the  secret  of  blessedness.  It  was  of  special  significance 
that  in  this  home  both  parents  were  godly.  The  mother 
had  not  to  weep  because  the  boy's  father  was  thwarting 
her  teaching  by  his  example,  nor  the  father  to  sigh  that 
the  mother's  unsanctified  nature  was  hardening  his  son. 
Then,  there  would  be  the  more  distant  influence  of  rela- 


BIRTH   AND    UPBRINGING.  I99 

tives  and  acquaintances  of  like  spirit  with  the  father  and 
mother ;  for  we  may  be  certain  that  the  friends  of  this 
family  would  be  the  excellent  of  the  earth. 

Happy  is  he  or  she  who  has  such  a  father  and 
mother,  and  whose  childhood  is  nurtured  in  such  a 
home.  Out  of  such  homes  have  come  the  men  who 
have  been  the  reformative  and  regenerative  forces  of 
the  world.  The  influence  of  the  mother  is  especially 
noteworthy ;  nearly  all  men  who  have  been  conspicu- 
ously great  and  good  have  owed  much  to  their  mothers. 
In  this  narrative  the  mother  is  less  prominent  than  the 
father  ;  but  enough  is  told  to  show  what  manner  of 
spirit  she  was  of.  One  hkes  to  think  of  the  three 
months  spent  by  Mary  under  her  roof.  The  homage 
paid  by  Elizabeth  to  her  on  whom  had  been  bestowed 
the  greater  honor  of  being  the  mother  of  the  Lord  was 
an  anticipation  of  the  humility  of  her  son,  when  he  said, 
"  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

Their  home  is  said  to  have  been  "  in  a  city  of 
Judah,"  which  some  have  proposed  to  read  "  the  city 
of  Juttah,"  a  priesdy  town  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem. 
Others  have  thought  of  Hebron,  another  priestly  town 
in  the  same  region.  But  it  is  useless  to  attempt  any 
determination  of  the  exact  place. 

Whatever  the  town  was,  here  "  he  grew  and  waxed 
strong  in  spirit,  and  was  in  the  deserts  till  the  day  of  his 
showing  unto  Israel."  He  v/as  not  an  educated  man 
in  the  technical  sense.  He  did  not  go  to  Jerusalem  and 
sit  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.  He  was  self-taught,  as  the 
saying  is ;  perhaps  in  this  case  we  ought  rather  to  say 
God-taught.     It  is  curious    to  note  how  many  of  the 


; 


200  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

world's  greatest  men  have  owed  nothing  to  schools  and 
colleges.  Universities  can  polish  the  intellect,  but  can  ^_ 
they  add  to  its  primordial  mass  ?  When  the  mass  of  ^ 
intellect  is  great,  sometimes  it  is  all  the  more  impressive  C\  v  /  $^  >■' 
and  effective  for  not  being  polished  too  much.  The 
Baptist's  discourses  show  that  he  was  not  ignorant  of 
the  world  ;  so  that  we  must  not  understand  too  literally 
the  statement  that  he  was  in  the  deserts.  But,  if  he 
visited  towns  and  there  observed  hum.an  life,  and  if  he 
visited  Jerusalem  and  there  scrutinized  the  state  of  re- 
ligion, he  retired  to  the  deserts  to  brood  over  what  he 
had  seen.  He  brooded  long.  It  does  not  appear  that 
his  ministry  began  much  before  that  of  Jesus ;  and,  as 
Jesus  was  thirty  years  old  when  He  went  forth  to 
preach,  John  must  have  been  about  the  same  age  when 
he  was  shown  unto  Israel.  All  this  time  his  thoughts 
had  been  accumulating;  deeper  and  deeper,  as  he 
wandered  brooding  among  the  solitudes,  grew  his  con- 
victions, "  as  streams  their  channels  deeper  wear."  At 
last  he  came  forth,  clothed  with  a  force  like  that  of  the 
bare  elements  of  nature,  and  speaking  with  the  impres- 
siveness  of  the  thunder  and  the  vividness  of  the  light- 
ning. 

On  the  title  page  of  this  volume  a  sentence  is 
quoted,  from  one  of  Mrs.  Jameson's  books  on  Sacred 
Art,  to  the  effect  that  "  in  devotional  pictures  we  often 
see  St.  John  the  Evangelist  and  St.  John  the  Baptist 
standing  together,  one  on  each  side  of  Christ."  To 
what  link  of  association  is  this  conjunction  due?  The 
identity  of  name  may  have  something  to  do  with  it. 


BIRTH    AND    UPBRINGING.  201 

Besides,  the  two  were  at  least  distantly  connected  by 
the  tie  of  nature ;  for  the  Baptist's  mother  is  called  "  the 
cousin" — a  vague  word  in  Greek— of  Mary,  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  and,  as  the  Evangelist's  mother  was  in  all 
probability  Mary's  sister,  it  is  likely  that  the  Evangelist 
was  related  to  the  Baptist  in  the  same  way  as  Jesus  was. 
But  the  tie  which  binds  the  two  together  in  the  Chris- 
tian mind  is  rather  that  indicated  by  the  words,  "  One 
on  each  side  of  Christ."  The  two  St.  Johns  form  the 
extreme  links  of  the  chain  of  evangelic  testimony. 
The  Baptist  had  the  privilege  of  being  the  first  to  point 
out  the  Messiah ;  the  Evangehst  bore  the  last  and  most 
consummate  witness  to  the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God. 


202  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE   PROPHET. 

Matthew  3  :  1-12;  Mark  i  :i-8;  Luke  3  :  1-18. 

Some  preachers  derive  a  certain  amount  of  influ- 
ence from  the  impression  made  by  their  personal 
appearance.  When,  as  in  the  case  of  Chalmers,  on 
the  broad  and  ample  forehead  there  rests  the  air  of 
philosophic  thought,  and  in  the  liquid  eye  there  shines 
the  sympathy  of  a  benevolent  nature,  the  goodwill  of 
the  congregation  is  conciliated  before  a  word  is  uttered. 
Still  more  fascinating  is  the  impression  when,  as  in  the 
case  of  Newman,  the  stern  and  emaciated  figure  sug- 
gests the  secret  fasts  and  midnight  vigils  of  one  who 
dwells  in  a  hidden  world,  out  of  which  he  comes  with 
a  divine  message  to  his  followers. 

In  the  highest  degree  this  advantage  attached  to 
the  preaching  of  the  Baptist,  whose  appearance  must 
have  been  very  striking.  His  hair  was  long  and  un- 
kempt ;  and  his  features  were  tanned  with  the  sun  and 
the  air  of  the  desert.  Probably  they  were  thinned  too 
by  austerity ;  for  his  habitual  food  was  of  the  simplest 
order,  consisting  only  of  locusts  and  wild  honey.  Lo- 
custs, dried  and  preserved,  form  still,  at  the  present 
day,  an  article  of  food  in  the  East,  but  only  among  the 
very  poor:  people  in  the  least  degree  luxurious  or 
scrupulous  would  not  look  at  it.  Wild  honey,  formed 
by  hives  of  bees  in  the  crevices  of  rocks  or  in  rifted 


THE   PROPHET.  203 

trees,  abounds  in  the  desert- places  of  Palestine,  and 
may  be  gathered  by  anyone  who  wanders  there.  The 
raiment  of  the  Baptist  corresponded  with  his  food,  con- 
sisting of  a  garment  of  the  very  coarsest  and  cheapest 
cloth,  made  of  camel's  hair.  The  girdle  of  the  Oriental 
is  an  article  of  clothing  on  which  a  great  deal  of  taste 
and  expense  is  laid  out,  being  frequendy  of  fine  mate- 
rial and  gay  coloring,  with  the  added  adornment  of 
elaborate  needlework ;  but  the  girdle  with  which  John's 
garment  was  confined  was  no  more  than  a  rough  band 
of  leather.  Everything,  in  short,  about  his  external 
appearance  denoted  one  who  had  reduced  the  claims  of 
the  body  to  the  lowest  possible  terms,  that  he  might 
devote  himself  entirely  to  the  life  of  the  spirit. 

John  was  a  Nazarite.  The  Nazarite  vow  seems  to 
have  been  of  very  ancient  origin,  perhaps  having  ex- 
isted earlier  than  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  the 
Hebrew  people.  But  it  was  adopted  into  the  Mosaic 
legislation.  It  was  voluntary  ;  and  it  was  usually  tem- 
porary. For  ascetic  purposes  an  Israelite  might  resolve 
to  be  for  a  certain  term  of  months  or  years  a  Nazarite, 
and  at  the  end  of  this  period  he  could,  by  the  perform- 
ance of  certain  ceremonies,  lay  the  ascetic  habit  aside 
and  return  to  ordinary  life.  The  Baptist,  however,  was 
like  some  other  great  men  of  his  race,  such  as  Samuel 
and  Samson,  a  Nazarite  for  life.  The  vow  consisted  in 
letting  the  hair  grow  uncut  and  in  abstinence  from  the 
fruit  of  the  vine  in  every  shape  and  form.  The  object 
of  it  was  to  subdue  the  bodily  appetites  and  to  cultivate 
an  unworldly  life  in  fellowship  with  God. 

Among  the  learned  there  has  been  much  discussion 


204  ^T.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

as  to  whether  the  Baptist,  besides  being  a  Nazarite,  was 
an  Essene.  The  Essenes  are  named  by  Josephus  and 
other  ancient  writers  along  with  the  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees  as  a  third  school  of  religious  thought  among 
the  Jews,  but  they  are  never  mentioned  in  the  New 
Testament.  They  were  ascetics,  who  fled  from  the 
world  and  lived  as  a  separate  community  in  the  same 
desert  of  Judah  in  which  John  spent  his  days  before  his 
appearance  to  Israel.  It  has  even  been  disputed  whether 
Jesus  did  not  belong  to  them  and  owe  to  them  some  of 
his  doctrines.  But  Christianity  is  fundamentally  op- 
posed to  Essenism  in  the  high  regard  it  pays  to  the 
body,  and  in  its  doctrine  that  the  religious  life  is  to  be 
lived  not  out  of  the  world  but  in  it.  John's  teaching, 
too,  is  widely  separated  from  the  false  unworldliness  of 
the  Essenes,  though  in  some  respects  his  manner  of  life 
resembled  theirs.  The  most  curious  point  of  agree- 
ment is  that  the  highest  object  of  Essene  aspiration  was 
to  attain  to  the  spirit  of  Elijah.  Now,  John  in  some  re- 
spects strikingly  resembled  Elijah.  Not  only  did  his 
external  appearance  recall  that  ancient  prophet,  who  is 
expressly  described,  in  2  Kings  i :  8,  as  "a  hairy  man, 
and  girt  with  a  girdle  of  leather  about  his  loins,"  but  the 
angel  who  foretold  his  birth  stated  that  he  would  be 
clothed  with  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elijah.  The  Bap- 
tist's relations  to  Herod  and  Herodias  were  closely  par- 
allel to  those  of  Elijah  to  Ahab  and  Jezebel ;  and  the 
suddenness  with  which  he  burst  into  view  out  of  the 
desert  in  which  he  had  spent  his  youth  recalled  the 
great  prophet  who,  from  his  solitary  cell  on  Mount 
Carmel,  used  to  descend  to  beard  the  monarch  in  his 


THE  PROPHET.  205 

palace  or  to  challenge  the  assembled  nation  to  choose 
between  Jehovah  and  Baal.  Our  Lord  h.mself  taught 
that  in  the  Baptist  Elijah  had  returned  to  rouse  and 
warn  the  people  of  God. 

The  audiences  of  different  preachers  vary  exceed- 
ingly.   They  vary  in  size.    Some  preachers,  even  when 
they  are  appreciated,  preach  to  a  handful :  others  draw 
the   million.     They  vary  in  quality.     Some  preachers 
appeal  only  to  a  single  class,  it  may  be  to  the  cultivated, 
their  words  being  "  caviare  to  the  general     or.tmay 
be  to  the  common  people,  their  manner  offendmg  the 
fastidious;  but  the  greatest   preachers  draw  all  classes^ 
John   did   so  emphatically.      Jerusalem    and  all 
Jud^a  went   out    to  him.      No  sooner  did  his  vo.ce 
lound  in  the  desert  than  an  electric  thnll  seemed  to 
pass  through  the  country;  there  arose  a  rumor  and  a 
fame,  and  the  population  streamed  out  en  masse  to  hear 
him      The  Pharisee,  ever  intent  on  exammmg  any  new 
phenomenon  appearing  in  the  religious  world,  was  there 
as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  so  was  the  Sadducee,  whose 
cold  soul  was  usually  inaccessible  to  religious  excite- 
ment    The  scribe  was  there,  to  hear  what  new  doctrine 
the  famous  preacher  would  produce  from  the  Scriptures, 
which  were  the  subject  of  his  own  study ;  but  the  publi- 
can and  the  harlot  were  also  there,  who  in  general  cared 
nothing  for  Scriptures  or  doctrines.     Even  soW.ers  are 
mentioned  as  among  John's  auditors,  though  whether 
these  were  Roman  or  Jewish  is  uncertain. 

The  scene  of  the  ministry  to  which  this  motley 
multitude  flocked  was  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.    Differ- 


206  ST.    JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

ent  points  of  the  valley  are  mentioned  by  different 
Evangelists,  from  the  desert  of  Judah  on  the  south  to 
the  ford  of  Bethabara,  just  below  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  on 
the  north.  These  differences  as  to  locality  have  been 
treated  as  discrepancies  ;  but  surely  without  reason.  A 
preacher  would  naturally  move  from  place  to  place,  and 
be  sometimes  on  one  side  of  the  river  and  sometimes 
on  the  other.  The  slight  indications  which  are  supplied 
in  the  Gospels  seem  to  show  that  John  moved,  on  the 
whole,  from  south  to  north,  beginning  in  the  south,  near 
his  home,  and  ending  in  the  north,  near  the  abode  of 
Herod,  by  whom  his  career  was  stopped. 

It  is  especially  worthy  of  note  that  the  population 
**  went  out  "  to  John.  He  did  not  go  to  them — to  their 
cities,  their  synagogues  or  their  temple.  The  idea  of 
our  modern  Home  Mission  movement  is  to  carry  the 
Gospel  to  the  people — to  the  lanes  and  courts  of  the 
city,  to  the  miner's  hut  and  the  fisherman's  resort,  to 
the  man  on  the  street  and  the  woman  in  the  house — so 
that  they  cannot  get  away  from  it ;  and  we  speak  fer- 
vently of  our  methods  as  aggressive.  But  it  should  not 
be  forgotten  that  there  is  another  method — the  attract- 
ive. Speak  the  right  word,  and  you  will  not  need  to 
press  men  to  come  and  hear  it.  The  spiritual  instincts 
of  human  nature  may  be  dormant,  but  they  are  not 
dead.  Let  the  right  music  sound  outside,  and  the  hid- 
den man  of  the  heart  will  rise  and  come  to  the  window 
to  look  out  and  listen.  No  obstacles  can  keep  people 
away  when  a  voice  sufficiently  charged  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  heard.  John  had  only  to  Hft  up  his  voice,  and 
the  entire  country  hastened  to  hear  hirn. 


THE   PROPHET.  20/ 

The  message  of  this  preacher  was  exceedingly 
simple.  It  contained  only  two  watchwords,  the  one 
being  "Repent,"  the  other,  "The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand." 

Repentance  is  perhaps  not  the  best  rendering  of 
the  first  note  of  John's  message;  conversion  would  be 
a  more  literal  translation.  It  was  for  an  entire  change 
in  the  habits  of  thought  and  conduct  that  John  called ; 
and  this  change  included  not  only  the  forsaking  of  sin 
but  the  seeking  of  God.  Still,  the  forsaking  of  sin  was 
very  prominent  in  John's  demands ;  for  we  are  told 
how  pointedly  he  referred  to  the  favorite  sins  of  differ- 
ent classes.  When  the  publicans  asked,  "  What  shall 
we  do  ?"  he  had  his  answer  ready,  "  Exact  no  more 
than  that  which  is  appointed  you  ;"  unjust  and  vexa- 
tious exactions  being  notoriously  the  sin  of  this  class. 
So,  when  the  soldiers  demanded, ''  What  shall  we  do  ?" 
he  pointed  his  finger  straight  at  their  besetting  sins, 
when  he  said,  "  Do  violence  to  no  man,  neither  accuse 
any  falsely,  and  be  content  with  your  wages."  The 
boldness  of  such  preaching  is  manifest :  the  last  men- 
tioned word,  for  instance,  "  Be  content  with  your 
wages,"  was  probably  no  more  popular  then  than  it 
would  be  if  preached  to  the  poor  at  the  present  day. 
But,  if  John  preached  fearlessly  to  the  poor,  he  had  a 
no  less  practical  message  to  the  rich ;  for  to  them  he 
said,  "  He  that  hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him 
that  hath  none  ;  and  he  that  hath  meat,  let  him  do  like- 
wise." It  is  extraordinary  how  evil  habit,  can,  genera- 
tion after  generation,  override  the  most  elementary 
instincts  of  justice  and  humanity.     The  average  con- 


208  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

duct  of  both  the  masses  and  the  classes  is  at  the  pres- 
ent day  in  many  respects  just  as  distorted  as  it  was  in 
the  days  of  the  Baptist.  But  the  true  prophet  is  he 
who  can  see  how  far  the  Hne  of  custom  diverges  from 
the  hne  of  righteousness  and  can  summon  forth  the  con- 
science of  every  man  to  acknowledge  it  too. 

The  other  note  of  John's  preaching  was  the  king- 
dom of  God.  This  was  not  a  novel  watchward.  The 
ideal  of  the  Jews  had  always  been  a  theocracy.  When 
Saul,  their  first  king,  was  appointed,  the  prophet 
Samuel  condemned  the  act  of  the  people  as  a  lapse : 
they  ought  to  have  wished  no  king  but  God.  And 
when,  in  subsequent  ages,  the  kings  of  the  land  with 
rare  exceptions  turned  out  miserable  failures,  the  bet- 
ter and  deeper  spirits  always  sighed  for  a  reign  of 
God,  which  would  ensure  national  prosperity.  The 
deeper  the  nation  sank  the  more  passionate  grew  this 
aspiration ;  and  when  the  good  time  coming  was 
thought  of,  it  was  always  in  the  form  of  a  kingdom  of 
God.  It  is,  indeed,  a  point  which  has  been  much 
discussed,  how  far  such  hopes  were  prevalent  immedi- 
ately before  the  Advent.  But  the  New  Testament 
itself  proves  incontestably  that  the  expectation  of  the 
Messianic  king  was  one  of  the  principal  features  of 
the  deep  and  hidden  piety  of  the  land,  while  Messianic 
hopes  of  a  totally  different  order,  crude  and  earthly, 
were  widely  diffused  among  the  people.  At  all  events, 
in  the  Jewish  mind  there  was  latent  a  whole  system 
of  Messianic  ideas,  which  only  a  hint  was  required  to 
awaken  into  activity. 

It  was  to  this  that  John  appealed  when  he  cried. 


THE   PROPHET.  209 

**  The  king-dom  of  God  is  at  hand."  But  his  most 
effective  word  was  the  hint  that  not  only  the  king- 
dom but  the  King  was  coming.  His  favorite  way  of 
characterizing  himself  was  "  as  the  voice  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness,  *  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord.'  " 
In  the  East,  when  a  king  was  making  a  progress 
through  any  part  of  his  dominions,  a  herald  preceded 
him,  to  announce  his  approach  and  to  clear  the  way. 
If  no  road  existed  one  had  to  be  made,  valleys  being 
filled  up  and  even  mountains  and  hills  levelled  for 
the  purpose.  Every  obstacle,  in  short,  had  to  be 
removed,  and  the  hearts  of  men  prepared  for  the 
king's  reception.  Such  was  the  office  which  John 
claimed  to  fill  in  the  programme  of  the  Messianic 
King. 

The  two  portions  of  John's  message — repentance 
and  the  kingdom  of  God — were  closely  connected  :  he 
called  on  men  to  repent  that  they  might  be  ready 
for  the  King  when  he  came.  Indeed,  here  was  the  very 
point  of  the  Baptist's  preaching.  He  was  profoundly 
convinced  that  his  countrymen  were  not  prepared, 
and  that  no  kingdom  of  God  could  be  formed  out  of 
them  as  they  were.  They,  indeed,  had  no  idea  of 
this  themselves ;  but  this  ignorance  was  the  supreme 
obstacle.  They  imagined  that,  simply  because  they 
were  children  of  Abraham,  they  could  go  in  a  body 
into  the  kingdom ;  but  he  cried ;  "  Begin  not  to  say 
within  yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our  father." 
Children  of  Abraham!  rather,  I  should  say,  children 
of  the  old  serpent  are  ye — '*  O  generation  of  vipers." 
The  King,  when   he  came,  would  not  admit  them,  as 


210  .  ST.    JOHN   THE    BAPTIST. 

a  matter  of  course,  into  his  kingdom :  on  the  con- 
trary, the  very  first  thing  he  would  do  would  be  to 
sit  as  a  judge,  to  separate  the  good  from  the  evil. 
"  His  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  throughly  purge 
his  floor,  and  will  gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner, 
but  will  burn  up  the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire." 
This  "wrath  to  come"  must  be  the  first  act  of  the 
Messiah's  activity.  John,  therefore,  called  upon  men 
at  once  to  be  converted,  that  they  might  be  con- 
sidered meet  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  when  Messiah 
came.  Words  and  professions  would  be  of  no  avail — 
"  Bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance." 

Is  it  not  obvious  that  this  is  a  message  for  all  time? 
In  one  sense  the  Baptist's  ministry  was  an  evanescent 
one:  when  Christ  came,  there  was  no  place  for  him 
any  more.  But  in  another  sense  the  Baptist  is  always 
needed.  Christ  comes  to  many;  but  he  receives  no 
welcome  because  they  feel  no  need  of  him.  Unless 
a  man  knows  that  he  is  lost,  the  announcement  of  a 
Saviour  has  no  attraction  for  his  mind.  The  deeper 
the  sense  of  sin,  the  firmer  the  grasp  of  salvation.  In 
the  kingdom  of  God  the  hungry  are  filled  with  good 
things,  but  the  rich  are  sent  empty  away. 

The  prophets  of  Israel  were  poets  as  well  as 
preachers ;  and  one  way  in  which  they  displa)^ed  their 
poetical  endowment  was  by  the  invention  of  physical 
symbols  to  represent  the  truths  which  they  also  ex- 
pressed in  words.  Thus,  it  will  be  remembered, 
Jeremiah  at  one  period  went  about  Jerusalem  wearing 
a  yoke  on  his  shoulders,  in  order  to  impress  on  his 


THE   PROPHET.  211 

fellow-citizens  the  certainty  that  they  were  to  become 
subject  to  the  Babylonian  power;  and  similar  sym- 
bolical actions  of  other  prophets  will  occur  to  every 
Bible  reader.  In  the  Baptist,  ancient  prophecy,  after 
centuries  of  silence,  had  come  to  life  again ;  and  he 
demonstrated  that  he  was  the  true  heir  of  men  like 
Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  by  the  exercise  also  of  this 
poetical  gift.  He  embodied  his  teaching  not  only  in 
words,  but  in  an  expressive  symbol.  And  never  was 
symbol  more  felicitously  chosen;  for  baptism  exactly 
jexpressed  the  main  Srift  of  his  teadimg. 

Perhaps  in  the  invention  of  this  symbol  John  w^as 
not  altogether  original.  The  truth  is,  washing  with 
water  is  so  natural  and  beautiful  a  symbol  of  spiritual 
cleansing  and  renewal  that  it  has  been  used  by  relig- 
ious teachers  as  an  initiatory  rite  in  all  ages  and  in 
all  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  said  to  have  been  in  use 
in  the  Holy  Land  before  the  age  of  the  Baptist  as 
part  of  the  ceremonial  by  which  a  heathen  was  made 
a  proselyte  of  the  Jewish  faith.  If  this  be  correct, 
the  fact  lends  to  John's  adoption  of  the  rite  peculiar 
significance.  His  countrymen  were  already  familiar 
with  the  notion  that  a  heathen,  in  order  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  a  place  among  the  people  of  God,  had  to 
undergo  a  change  which  baptism  symbolized:  he 
had  to  wash  away  his  old  sins ;  he  had,  in  fact,  to  die 
to  his  old  life,  and  to  become  a  new  creature.  But 
it  had  never  before  occurred  to  them  that  they  them- 
selves, the  seed  of  Abraham,  required  any  such  trans- 
formation before  entering  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah. 
When,  therefore,  John   called   upon  them   to  submit 


^  >>^.: 


/ 

212  ST.    JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

to  baptism  he  was  teaching  the  same  lesson  as  our 
Lord  taught  Nicodemus  when  he  said,  "  Except  a 
man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

Another  important  end  which  baptism  served  in 
the  ministry  of  John  was  that  it  brought  his  hearers 
to  decision,  and  was  a  means  by  which  they  made 
confession.  Under  the  preaching  of  the  Word  im- 
pressions are  often  made  by  which  the  heart  is  melted 
and  the  whole  being  thrown  into  a  state  of  aspiration  ; 
but,  because  nothing  is  done  to  bring  the  mind  to  a 
point,  emotion  cools  down,  ordinary  motives  resume 
their  sway,  and  nothing  comes  of  the  impressions.  It 
is  well  known  how  missions  and  revival  preachers  try 
to  obviate  this  risk  by  inquiry  meetings,  testimony 
meetings,  and  the  like;  and,  though  such  methods 
may  be  abused,  they  have  their  value.  The  most 
august  method  of  the  kind  is  participation  in  the 
Lord's  Supper.  This  sacrament  is,  Hke  the  baptism 
of  John,  a  symbol  of  truth ;  but  it  is  also  a  means  of 
bringing  those  who  have  been  impressed  with  the 
truth  to  the  point  of  confessing  Christ.  And,  if  John's 
call  impressed  the  honest  and  good  hearts  among  his 
auditors  when  he  urged  them  to  come  forward,  in  the 
eyes  of  all,  and  submit  themselves  to  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism, surely  the  voice  of  Jesus  Christ  should  move 
us  far  more  when  he  says,  **  Do  this  in  remembrance 
of  me." 


THE  BAPTISM   OF  JESUS.  21 3 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   BAPTISM   OF  JESUS. 
Matthew  4: 13-17;  Mark  1:9-11;  Luke  3:21,  22. 

The  multitudes  were  baptized  of  John  in  Jordan, 
"  confessing  their  sins."  His  preaching  of  the  terrors 
of  the  law  revealed  the  secrets  of  men's  hearts  to 
themselves,  and  they  were  glad,  by  the  word  of  con- 
fession, to  exorcise  what  they  felt  to  be  condemning 
them.  Many  a  confession  he  heard  from  Hps  which 
had  never  been  opened  to  confess  before ;  and  the  sad 
and  bad  secrets  were  made  known  to  him  of  many  a 
life  which  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  looked  spotless.  In 
such  a  situation  he  must  have  learned  to  know  the 
weaknesses  of  the  human  heart ;  and  it  would  not  sur- 
prise him  to  hear  that  there  were  guilty  memories 
gnawing  and  tormenting  many  a  breast  in  which  the 
world  would  never  have  expected  them. 

But  one  day  there  appeared  among  the  applicants 
for  the  baptismal  rite  One  who,  at  the  first  glance,  he 
was  so  certain  had  no  sin  to  confess  that  he  drew  back 
and  said,  "  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of  Thee,  and 
comest  Thou  to  me?"  In  other  cases  John  may  have 
refused  to  administer  the  rite  because  repentance  was 
not  deep  enough ;  in  this  case  he  refused  because 
repentance  was  unnecessary.  The  task  of  John  was  to 
bring  sin  home  to  the  consciences  of  men ;  but  here 
was  One  who  brought  it  home  to  his  own  conscience. 


214  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

As  he  looked  on  Jesus,  the  baptizer  felt  that  he  himself 
needed  to  be  baptized ;  as,  in  comparison  with  daz- 
zling whiteness,  even  some  kinds  of  white  look  grey. 
John  was  the  boldest  of  men :  Pharisee  or  priest, 
soldier  or  king  could  not  make  him  quail:  but  he 
quailed  before  this  Applicant  who  sought,  the  benefit 
of  his  office. 

If  John  knew  Jesus  before  this  there  is  nothing 
surprising  in  the  scene.  But  John  is  made  by  one  of 
the  Evangelists  to  state  that  till  this  day  he  had  not 
known  Jesus.  It  has  been  argued,  indeed,  that  this 
may  only  mean  that  he  did  not,  before  he  saw  the 
signs  vouchsafed  on  this  occasion,  know  him  as  he 
really  was — as  the  Messiah.  He  must  have  known 
him,  it  is  held,  as  a  man,  because  their  families  were 
closely  related ;  and,  although  the  one  family  lived  in 
Galilee  and  the  other  in  Judsea,  they  had  opportunities 
of  seeing  one  another  at  the  feasts  in  Jerusalem,  which 
both  families  were  sure  to  attend.  These  seem  cogent 
arguments ;  but  there  may  have  been  many  reasons,  to 
us  unknown,  for  their  never  having  seen  one  another 
before  this  day;  and  the  unsocial  habits  of  John,  reach- 
ing back  we  know  not  how  far  into  his  early  Hfe,  sug- 
gest a  reason  which  may  have  been  sufficient  to  keep 
them  apart. 

If  John  never  saw  Jesus  before,  the  impression 
made  on  his  mind  and  conscience  by  this  first  encoun- 
ter is  a  striking  revelation  of  the  character  of  Jesus. 
There  are  rare  faces  which  in  some  degree  make  the 
same  impression.  There  sits  on  them  an  air  of  purity 
and  peace,  which,   without  words,  tell  its  story — the 


THE   BAPTISM    OF  JESUS.  21 5 

Story  of  a  hidden  life  spent  in  walking  with  God — and 
many  people  would  confess  that  they  have  been  made 
more  sensible  of  the  coarseness  of  the  fibre  of  their 
own  nature  and  the  raggedness  of  their  own  conduct 
by  being  brought  casually  face  to  face  with  such  a 
breathing  image  of  goodness  than  by  the  exposure  of 
the  most  subtle  moral  analysis  or  the  denunciations  of 
a  hundred  sermons.  In  the  life  of  Christ  there  are 
numerous  instances  of  the  overwhelming  effect  which 
the  mere  aspect  of  his  personahty  in  some  of  its  moods 
was  able  to  produce.  It  will  be  remembered  how  in 
the  boat  St.  Peter  fell  down  before  him  and,  grovelling, 
cried,  "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O 
Lord ;"  how  on  the  last  journey  to  Jerusalem  he  went 
on  in  front  of  the  Twelve  and  "  they  were  amazed,  and 
as  they  followed,  they  were  afraid  ;"  and  how  in  Geth- 
semane  the  soldiers  sent  to  apprehend  him,  when  they 
beheld  him,  started  back  and  fell  on  their  faces  to  the 
earth.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  when  Jesus  came 
to  the  baptism  of  John  he  was  in  a  state  of  unusual 
exaltation,  for  he  was  on  the  eve  of  entering  upon  his 
public  work,  and  this  rapt  state  of  mind  may  have 
communicated  to  his  appearance  an  unusual  impres- 
siveness ;  so  that,  even  before  ascertaining  who  he  was, 
John  recoiled  with  a  religious  dread,  as  in  the  presence 
of  a  superior  being.  As  in  his  mother's  womb  the 
babe  leaped  when  the  Lord  drew  near,  so  now  an 
overpowering  instinct  impelled  him  to  draw  back  from 
assuming  towards  him  a  position  which  seemed  to  be 
that  of  a  superior. 

The  first  meeting  of  these  two  is  a  unique  scene. 


2l6  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

They  were  of  nearly  the  same  age ;  they  were  related 
according  to  the  flesh ;  they  were  both  men  of  pro- 
phetic endowment,  sent  to  produce  in  their  native  coun- 
try a  religious  reformation.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  and 
other  points  of  resemblance,  there  could  not  have 
been  two  characters  more  absolutely  contrasted.  Jesus 
marked  the  contrast  in  the  broadest  way  when  he 
subsequently  said,  "John  the  Baptist  came  neither 
eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine ;  and  ye  say,  He  hath 
a  devil :  the  Son  of  man  is  come  eating  and  drinking, 
and  ye  say,  Behold  a  gluttonous  man  and  a  wine- 
bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners."  John  was 
the  child  of  the  desert,  courting  solitude  and  avoiding 
human  society;  Jesus  followed  a  homely  trade,  ap- 
peared at  marriages  and  feasts,  was  a  friend  of  women 
and  children,  and  was  as  much  at  home  in  the  busy 
city  as  on  the  mountain  top.  John  called  the  multi- 
tude out  to  the  desert  to  hear  him  and  did  not  con- 
descend to  visit  the  haunts  of  men ;  Jesus  went  to  sin- 
ners where  he  could  find  them,  considering  it  his  duty 
to  seek  as  well  as  to  save  that  which  was  lost.  John 
has  a  seared  look ;  he  is  a  man  who,  after  severe  strug- 
gles, has  obtained  the  mastery  of  himself  and  is  hold- 
ing down  a  coarse  nature  by  main  force;  Jesus,  on  the 
contrary,  is  always  innocent  and  spontaneous,  genial 
and  serene.  John,  in  short,  is  the  Old  Testament  per- 
sonified, Jesus  the  embodiment  of  the  New ;  and  in 
John's  shrinking  from  baptizing  Jesus  the  spirit  of 
the  Old  Testament — the  spirit  of  law,  wrath  and  aus- 
terity— was  doing  homage  to  the  spirit  of  the  New 
Testament — the  spirit  of  freedom  and  of  love. 


THE   BAPTISM    OF   JESUS.  217 

The  application  by  Jesus  for  baptism  perplexed 
John ;  and  we  must  confess  it  perplexes  us.  It  is  not, 
indeed,  entirely  without  parallel  in  the  life  of  Christ ; 
for  his  circumcision,  which  took  place  when  he  was 
eight  days  old,  raises  the  same  difficulty.  The  diffi- 
culty is,  that  he  should  have  participated  in  an  ordi- 
nance which  symbolized  the  removal  of  sin.  But  in 
this  case  it  is  more  urgent,  because  he  made  the  appli- 
cation himself 

Did  this  betray  a  consciousness  of  sin  ?  Such  was 
the  meaning  of  the  application  when  made  by  others; 
and  certainly  this  would  be  the  natural  construction  to 
put  on  the  conduct  of  Jesus,  if  it  were  not  at  variance 
with  everything  else  we  know  about  him.  The  sin- 
lessness  of  Jesus  is  one  of  the  truths  to  which  the 
Scripture  bears  the  clearest  testimony;  and  it  has 
been  beheved  in  by  many  who  have  not  accepted  the 
testimony  of  Scripture  about  him  in  some  other  re- 
spects. He  claimed  himself  to  be  without  sin;  and 
in  the  accounts  which  have  come  down  to  us  of  his 
prayers  there  does  not  occur  a  single  syllable  of  con- 
fession. This  is  justly  accounted  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  features  of  his  life.  Other  religious  char- 
acters have  confessed  their  own  sins;  and  the  pro- 
founder  their  holiness  the  more  frequent  and  piercing 
have  been  their  professions.  But  Jesus,  confessedly 
the  most  profoundly  religious  figure  that  has  appeared 
in  human  history,  made  no  such  acknowledgements. 
Why?  Was  this  a  defect  in  his  religious  character, 
or  was  the  reason,  that  he  had  no  sin  to  confess  ?  So 
the  Scriptures  say.      Not  only  is  the  image  of  Jesus 


2l8  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

which  they  present  one  which  breathes  out  purity  from 
every  feature,  but  they  expressly  assert,  in  many  differ- 
ent forms  of  statement,  that  he  was  holy  and  harmless 
and  undefiled  and  separate  from  sinners.  Even  on 
this  occasion  the  impression  which  he  made  on  John 
was  that  he  had  no  need  of  baptism  to  take  away  sin  ; 
and  his  own  statement,  "  Thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil 
all  righteousness,"  seems  to  imply  that  up  to  this  point 
he  was  conscious  of  perfectly  fulfilling  the  divine  law. 
Therefore,  his  application  cannot  be  explained  as  evi- 
dence that  he  was  conscious  of  sin. 

What,  then,  is  the  explanation?  Why  did  one 
who  had  no  sin  seek  to  participate  in  an  ordinance 
which  was  expressly  called  the  baptism  of  repentance  ? 
It  is  by  no  means  easy  to  answer. 

It  has  often  been  asserted  that  the  explanation  is 
given  in  the  reply  of  Jesus  to  John,  "  Suffer  it  to  be  so 
now;  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteous- 
ness." But  these  words  only  inform  us  that  he  felt  it 
to  be  his  duty  to  take  part  in  the  ordinance ;  they  do 
not  tell  us  why  he  considered  it  obligatory. 

Some  have  dismissed  the  difficulty  by  saying  that 
it  was  a  marvellous  instance  of  the  Saviour's  humihty, 
that  he,  the  sinless  One,  should  submit  to  an  ordinance 
intended  for  sinners.  And  they  have  added  poetic  re- 
flections to  the  effect  that,  while  the  water  cleansed 
others,  he  cleansed  the  water,  and  so  on.  But  this  is 
no  explanation.  Neither  is  the  suggestion  satisfactory, 
that  he  took  part  in  it  to  encourage  others.  John's 
baptism,  it  is  said,  was  a  great  religious  movement; 
and  Jesus,  as  a  religious  character,  could  not  keep  out 


THE   BAPTISM  OF  JESUS.  2T9 

of  it.  He  countenanced  all  religious  services,  and  was 
so  strict  in  his  attention  to  those  of  the  synagogue 
and  the  temple  as  to  recall  to  the  minds  of  onlookers 
the  saying,  "  The  zeal  of  thine  house  hath  eaten  me 
up."  Now,  it  is  true  that  Christ  did  give  an  ever- 
memorable  example  of  conscientiousness  in  attendance 
upon  religious  services ;  and  this  habit  m.ay  be  in- 
cluded in  the  "  all  righteousness  "  which  it  had  ever 
been  his  desire  to  fulfil.  But  this  would  not  account 
for,  or  even  justify,  his  participation  in  an  ordinance 
which  had  no  meaning  for  himself  It  might  account 
for  his  baptizing,  but  not  for  his  being  baptized. 

Only  two  explanations  seem  really  to  touch  the 
quick.  The  one  is  that  John's  baptism  had  a  positive 
as  well  as  a  negative  side.  It  was  not  only  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance,  but  a  rite  of  dedication.  It  was  a 
renewal  of  the  national  covenant,  the  inauguration  of 
a  new  era,  the  gateway  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Now, 
although  Jesus  had  no  part  in  the  sin  from  which  bap- 
tism cleansed,  he  had  part  in  this  positive  enthusiasm  : 
he  was  the  very  person  to  lead  the  way  into  the  new 
era.  The  other  explanation,  which  may  very  easily  be 
combined  with  this  one,  is  that  he  received  baptism  as 
a  representative  person.  Although  sinless  himself,  he 
was  a  member  of  a  sinful  nation,  of  whose  sin  he  was 
keenly  conscious — more  so  than  any  other  whom  John 
baptized — and  he  went  along  with  the  rest  of  the 
nation  in  making  confession.  In  short,  he  was  in  this 
act  rehearsing  beforehand  the  great  act  of  his  death, 
when  he  bore  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree  the  sins  of 
the  world. 


220  ST.   JOHN  THE   BAPTIST. 

John  may  not  as  yet  have  understood  why  Jesus 
wished  to  be  baptized ;  but,  with  the  same  reverence 
with  which  he  had  shrunk  from  administering  the 
rite,  he  yielded  when  Jesus  repeated  his  request. 

The  manner  in  which  this  mysterious  candidate 
received  the  rite  must  still  further  have  heightened 
John's  respect  and  awe.  St.  Luke  informs  us  that 
Jesus  came  up  from  the  water  praying.  This  is  a 
solemn  hint  as  to  the  spirit  in  which  all  divine  ordi- 
nances ought  to  be  received.  When  we  come  to  the 
font  seeking  baptism  either  for  ourselves  or  others, 
when  we  sit  at  the  Lord's  Table,  when  we  are  on 
our  way  to  church,  when  we  open  God's  holy  word — 
as  we  take  part  in  every  such  ordinance — we  may 
learn  from  Jesus  how  to  conduct  ourselves:  the  best 
state  of  mind  is,  to  be  engaged  in  prayer. 

What  may  we  suppose  he  was  praying  for  ?  If 
we  remember  the  nature  of  the  ordinance  in  which 
he  was  participating  and  the  stage  of  his  own  devel- 
opment which  he  had  reached,  can  we  doubt  that 
he  was  praying  for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  for  strength  to  play  his  own  part  in  its 
inauguration  ? 

The  answer  to  his  prayer  came  suddenly  and 
impressively.  While  he  was  yet  speaking  his  Father 
in  heaven  heard,  and  three  wonders  happened :  first, 
the  heavens  were  opened;  secondly,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
in  the  form  of  a  dove,  descended  on  him  ;  and,  thirdly, 
a  voice  came  from  heaven,  saying,  "This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 


THE   BAPTISM    OF   JESUS.  221 

At  this  point  many  questions  arise.  First,  what 
is  meant  by  the  heavens  opening?  The  language 
used  in  the  Evangehsts  is  very  graphic,  suggesting 
that  the  appearance  occurred  of  a  rent  being  made  in 
the  blue  vault,  by  which  the  invisible  things  which 
lie  within  were  disclosed.  But  what  does  this  mean 
to  us,  who  are  well  aware  that  the  visible  heaven  is 
not  what  it  was  thought  to  be  by  the  infant  mind 
of  the  race — the  floor  of  a  celestial  palace,  the  oc- 
cupants and  furnishings  of  which  might  be  seen  if 
an  opening  were  made  in  the  ceiling  of  our  earthly 
abode? 

Then,  what  was  the  dove  which  descended  on 
Jesus?  Was  there  a  real  dove,  which,  attracted  by 
his  gentleness,  alighted  on  him,  as  such  creatures, 
when  domesticated,  will  sometimes  do  on  persons  to 
whom  they  are  drawn  by  kindness  and  amiability  ?  Or 
was  the  dove  a  form  of  light  which  ghded,  with  dove- 
Hke  motion,  down  on  his  head,  to  point  him  out,  as 
at  Saul's  conversion  a  light  above  the  brightness  of 
the  sun  shone  round  about  him  ?  An  ancient  legend 
says  that  the  whole  valley  of  the  Jordan  was  illumi- 
nated. And  what  was  the  voice?  Was  it  thunder, 
which  in  Scripture  is  frequently  called  the  voice  of 
God  ?  There  were  other  scenes  in  the  life  of  Christ 
when  divine  voices  from  heaven  were  heard  for  his 
benefit,  and  on  at  least  one  of  these  occasions  the  by- 
standers heard  thunder  and  nothing  more,  whilst  in 
the  ears  of  those  more  direcdy  concerned  the  sound 
shaped  itself  into  an  articulate  divine  message ;  and  it 
seems   a   reasonable  inference   that    the   other   divine 


222  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

voices — the  present  one  among  them — were  of  the 
same  description. 

This  raises  the  question  whether  the  multitude,  on 
this  occasion,  or  only  Jesus  and  John,  heard  the  di- 
vine voice.  Some  devout  interpreters  have  held  that 
all  three  signs  took  place  in  the  consciousness  of  Jesus 
and  John  alone,  and  had  no  place  in  the  world  of  the 
senses.  But  judgments  on  such  a  point  are  largely 
subjective,  and  it  is  not  for  one  Christian  to  impose 
his  opinions  on  another. 

At  all  events,  the  signs  were  of  divine  origin  ;  and 
both  to  Jesus  and  John  they  were  of  the  utmost  value. 

For  Jesus  this  was  a  transfiguring  moment — one 
of  the  cardinal  points  in  the  development  of  his  human- 
ity, marking  his  transition  from  the  life  of  a  private 
man  to  the  career  of  a  pubHc  teacher.  Some  suppose 
that  it  was  at  this  point  he  became  fully  conscious  of 
his  unique  relationship  to  God  and  grasped  in  all  its 
majesty  the  plan  of  his  subsequent  career.  There 
is  more  unanimity  in  the  belief  that  it  was  now  he 
was  endowed  with  the  miraculous  powers  of  which  he 
was  to  make  use  in  his  ministry.  In  the  gospels  his 
miracles  are  ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  does 
not  mean  that  his  own  divine  power  was  not  at  work 
in  them,  but  that  his  human  nature  required  to  be 
potentiated  by  special  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  order 
to  be  a  fit  organ  through  which  his  divinity  might  act. 
And  perhaps  it  was  at  this  time  that  these  gifts  were 
conferred.  Such  questions  belong,  however,  rather 
to  the  life  of  Christ ;  and  at  present  we  are  concerned 
with  the  life  of  the  Baptist. 


THE   BAPTISM   OF   JESUS.  223 

To  John  this  was  a  moment  big  with  destiny. 
Before  this,  in  his  secret  intercourse  with  God — but 
at  what  exact  date  and  in  what  exact  manner  we 
know  not — he  had  received  a  premonition  to  this 
effect:  "Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  de- 
scending, and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he  which 
baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  This,  then,  v/as  the 
sign  for  which  he  had  been  waiting ;  this  was  the  day 
for  which  he  had  been  born.  The  appearance  of  the 
sign  was  the  assurance  that  all  the  revelations  of  his 
desert  experience  and  all  the  words  he  had  ventured 
to  utter  in  the  name  of  God  were  true.  The  new  era 
which  he  had  announced  was  no  mirage  which  would 
disappear,  as  the  visions  of  enthusiasts  have  often 
done.  Here,  under  his  very  eyes  and  in  his  very 
hands,  was  the  King,  to  whom  it  belonged  to  set  up 
and  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  God. 


224  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HIS   TESTIMONY   TO    CHRIST. 
John  1:19-37;  3:25-36. 

The  culmination  of  the  Baptist's  personal  experi- 
ence was  reached  when,  standing  in  the  water  of  Jor- 
dan, he  saw  and  heard  the  signs  with  which  the  baptism 
of  Jesus  was  accompanied.  But  still  he  had  a  great 
work  to  do  in  bearing  testimony  to  the  Messiah.  There 
are  three  recorded  occasions  on  which  he  did  so  :  the 
first  when  a  deputation  was  sent  to  him  from  Jerusalem 
by  the  ecclesiastical  authorities ;  the  second  when  he 
pointed  Jesus  out  to  his  own  disciples  as  the  Messiah ; 
and  the  third  when  he  rebuked  the  attempt  of  his  dis- 
ciples to  stir  up  rivalry  between  Jesus  and  himself. 
And  on  each  of  these  occasions  John  not  only  bore 
conscious  witness  to  Christ,  but  at  the  same  time  un- 
consciously revealed  his  own  character. 

There  are  three  names  applied  by  John  to  Christ,  in 
which  his  testimony  is  summed  up,  and  which  may  be 
taken  as  clews  to  this  part  of  his  life — the  Son  of  God, 
the  Lamb  of  God,  the  Bridegroom. 

It  was  entirely  proper  that  the  ecclesiastical  author- 
ities at  Jerusalem  should  send  a  deputation  to  ask  the 
Baptist  who  he  was.  They  asked  first  if  he  was  the 
Messiah,  then  if  he  was  Elijah,  then  if  he  was  "that 
prophet,"   meaning  probably  by  this  term  the   great 


HIS   TESTIMONY    TO    CHRIST.  22$ 

prophet  whose  coming  was  predicted  by  Moses  in  the 
famous  words  of  Deut.  i8  :  15:  "The  Lord  God  shall 
raise  up  unto  thee  a  prophet,  from  the  midst  of  thy 
brethren,  like  unto  me ;  unto  him  ye  shall  heark- 
en." 

It  may  surprise  us  that  to  the  question  whether  he 
were  EHjah  he  answered  No,  when  on  the  Holy  Mount 
our  Lord  identified  him  with  that  prophet :  "  But  I  say 
unto  you  that  Elias  is  come  already,  and  they  have 
done  unto  him  whatsoever  they  listed."  But  John  and 
Jesus  used  the  name  in  different  senses.  Besides,  John 
might  be  Elijah  without  knowing  it.  His  distinguish- 
ing grace  was  humility;  he  did  not  know  how  great  he 
was ;  '  he  wist  not  that  his  face  shone ;"  he  did  not 
dare  to  identify  himself  with  one  held  in  such  supreme 
estimation  as  Elijah.  When  asked  to  say  what  he  was, 
he  would  only  say,  "  I  am  a  voice  " — the  nearest  thing 
to  nothing.  A  voice  may,  indeed,  produce  momentous 
effects,  if  it  sounds  at  the  right  moment;  and  John 
hoped  to  do  so ;  but  as  a  voice  dies  on  the  air  and  is 
forgotten,  so  he  expected  to  pass  out  of  sight  and  out 
of  mind. 

Observing  his  lowly  estimate  of  himself,  we  are 
rather  surprised  to  notice  the  credit  given  him  for  not 
claiming  to  be  the  Messiah — "  He  confessed,"  says  St. 
John,  "and  denied  not,  but  confessed,  I  am  not  the 
Christ " — as  if  he  might  have  done  otherwise,  or  had 
been  tempted  to  do  so.  Was  he  ever  thus  tempted  ? 
There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  there  existed  in  the 
masses  of  the  people  plenty  of  latent  Messianic  expec- 
tation ;  and  one  who  had  made  an  impression  so  pro- 

15 


226  ST.    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST. 

found  could  easily  have  set  on  fire  this  combustible 
material.  Some  of  John's  adherents  may  have  hoped 
that  he  would  do  so.  Perhaps  also  there  may  have 
been  a  time  when  he  had  not  yet  become  conscious  of 
the  limits  of  his  own  commission — before  he  was  specif- 
ically informed  of  the  part  he  was  to  play  as  the  fore- 
runner of  Him  who  was  to  come.  But  if  ever  any 
such  ambitious  ideas  had  harbored  in  his  mind  or  been 
pressed  upon  him  b)^  others,  he  was  able  at  the  proper 
moment  to  divest  himself  of  them  ;  and  at  last  he  tram- 
pled them  beneath  his  feet. 

"  I  am  not  the  Christ,"  he  said  with  decision ; 
"but,"  he  added,  "there  standeth  One  among  you 
whom  ye  know  not ;"  and  then  he  reverted  to  a  figure 
of  speech  often  employed  in  his  earlier  ministry,  and 
touchingly  expressive  of  the  lowly  estimate  he  had 
formed  of  his  relation  to  the  Messiah.  His  shoes,  he 
said,  he  was  unable  to  bear,  and  his  shoe-latchet  he  was 
unworthy  to  unloose.  To  bear  the  shoes  of  a  person 
or  unloose  his  shoe-latchet  was  among  the  humblest 
offices  performed  by  slaves ;  and  thus  John  protested 
that  he  was  not  worthy  to  be  even  the  slave  of  the  Mes- 
siah. 

On  some  occasions,  when  he  made  use  of  this  com- 
parison to  designate  his  own  insignificance  and  Christ's 
superiority,  he  added  words  which  showed  how  well  he 
knew  wherein  the  difference  between  them  lay  :  "  I," 
he  said,  "baptize  with  water,  but  he  will  baptize  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire."  He  felt  that  his  own 
work  was  superficial,  external,  cold  :  it  was  only  bap- 
tism with  water.     But  there  are  defilements  which  can- 


HIS   TESTIMONY   TO   CHRIST.  22/ 

not  be  removed  with  water.  The  ore,  for  example,  in 
which  metals  are  embedded  has  to  be  cast  into  the  fur- 
nace that  the  dross  and  dirt  may  be  removed  with  fire 
and  the  silver  or  gold  come  forth  pure.  And  equally- 
searching  is  the  purification  required  by  human  souls. 
It  is  not  enough  to  break  off  notorious  sins,  as  John 
comm.anded  his  hearers  to  do ;  there  must  be  kindled 
in  the  heart  the  love  of  God  and  the  enthusiasm  of  hu- 
manity. John's  work  was  negative ;  but  it  required  as 
its  completement  a  positive  work — to  create  in  the 
heart  from  which  sin  had  been  expelled  the  passion  for 
goodness.  In  short,  in  addition  to  the  baptism  of  v/a- 
ter,  John  knew  there  was  needed  the  baptism  of  fire ; 
and  he  was  well  aware  he  had  not  this  to  give. 

This  gift  which  John  possessed,  of  seeing  over  and 
beyond  his  own  work,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable, 
and  can  only  be  found  where  there  exist  a  rare  self- 
knowledge  and  a  rare  humility.  To  the  worker  his 
own  work  is  usually  ultimate ;  it  reaches  as  far  as  the 
horizon  and  up  to  the  zenith  ;  and  this  is  all  the  more 
likely  to  be  the  case  the  more  earnest  is  the  man.  The 
evangelist,  for  example,  thinks  that  the  great  work  of 
the  Church  is  conversion,  and  he  has  little  conception 
of  the  importance  of  the  slow  formation  of  character ; 
the  pastor,  on  the  other  hand,  who  has  watched  over 
the  young  of  his  congregation  and  instilled  into  their 
minds  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  may  find  it  hard  to 
realize  that  they  still  require  a  complete  change  of  heart. 
But  John  not  only  acknowledged  that  his  own  work 
was  merely  a  commencement,  but  saw  with  perfect 
clearness  what  was  needed  to  make  it  complete. 


228  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

This  invested  with  special  significance  the  sign  by 
which  Jesus  was  marked  out  in  his  baptism ;  for  the 
sign  was  the  descent  on  him  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
"  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure  unto  him," 
said  John  on  a  subsequent  occasion.  With  this  divine 
fire  he  was  not  only  filled,  but  it  overflowed  for  the 
baptism  of  the  world. 

On  one  occasion,  referring  to  this  descent  of  the 
Spirit  on  Christ,  John  said,  "  And  I  saw,  and  bare  rec- 
ord that  this  is  the  Son  of  God."  This  is  John's  first 
great  name  for  the  Saviour ;  but  what  he  intended  by 
it  has  been  the  subject  of  frequent  discussion.  It  is  a 
name  which  in  different  parts  of  Scripture  has  different 
meanings.  In  the  Old  Testament,  where  it  is  appUed 
to  kings  and  to  the  nation  of  Israel  as  a  whole,  it  means 
the  favorite  of  God ;  probably  in  Christ's  time  it  had 
come  to  be  a  popular  name  for  the  Messiah ;  and  in  the 
documents  of  Christianity  it  has  the  highest  meaning  of 
all,  designating  the  unique  relationship  of  Jesus  to  God. 
At  which  precise  stage  of  the  history  of  this  idea  the 
Baptist  grasped  it  is  a  fair  subject  for  discussion.  It  is 
not  to  be  forgotten  that  John  borrowed  the  name  from 
the  voice  from  heaven  which  sounded  at  the  baptism  of 
Jesus.  Probably  it  meant  for  him  all  that  he  himself 
had  hot  but  Jesus  had — all  that  was  required  to  finish 
the  work  which  he  had  begun  but  was  not  able  to  com-, 
plete. 

It  may  have  been  while  Jesus  was  away  in  the  wil- 
derness, into  which  he  plunged  immediately  after  his 
baptism,  to  endure  the  forty  days'  temptation,  that  the 


THE   TESTIMONY   TO   CHRIST.  229 

deputation  from  Jerusalem  came  to  John ;  and  it  has 
been  supposed  that  it  was  immediately  after  Jesus  re- 
turned from  the  wilderness,  the  temptation  being  fin- 
ished, that  John  pointed  him  out  to  his  own  followers 
as  the  Messiah.  It  is  easy  to  conceive  that,  after  so 
unique  and  prolonged  an  experience  as  Jesus  had 
passed  through  in  the  wilderness,  there  may  have  been 
in  his  aspect  something  unusually  impressive;  and, 
when  he  came  suddenly  again  into  the  circle  where  the 
Baptist  was  standing,  the  first  look  at  him  sent  through 
the  forerunner's  soul  a  revealing  shock;  whereupon, 
with  outstretched  finger  pointed  to  him,  he  cried, 
"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world." 

What  was  the  nature  of  the  impression  which  had 
been  made  on  John's  mind  by  the  aspect  of  Jesus  and 
drew  forth  this  exclamation  has  been  a  question  much 
discussed.  Some  suppose  that  it  was  by  the  meekness 
and  gentleness  of  Jesus  he  was  impressed ;  and  that 
there  flashed  through  his  mind  the  pictures  of  the 
twenty-third  Psalm,  in  which  the  happiness  of  a  soul  at 
peace  with  God  is  set  forth  under  the  image  of  a  sheep 
or  lamb  in  its  relations  with  the  shepherd.  Many  have 
supposed  "the  reference  to  be  to  the  suffering  servant  of 
the  Lord  in  the  fifty-third  of  Isaiah,  "led  as  a  lamb  to 
the  slaughter."  The  tense  look  of  Christ,  possessed 
with  the  purpose  of  his  life,  had  instantly  suggested  to 
John  how  much  he  was  likely  to  suffer  in  conflict  with 
the  "generation  of  vipers,"  to  v^hich  he  had  himself  ap- 
pealed in  vain.  Many  have  supposed  the  reference  to 
be  to  the  paschal  lamb  or  other  lambs  of  sacrifice.     By 


230  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST.. 

a  sudden  inspiration  John  was  enabled,  it  is  supposed, 
to  anticipate  Christ's  sacrificial  death.  In  favor  of  this 
is  recalled  the  fact  that  he  was  of  priestly  descent,  and 
famihar,  through  his  father,  if  not  through  his  own  ex- 
perience, with  all  kinds  of  sacrifice. 

Possibly  in  the  impression  flashed  into  John's  mind 
by  the  aspect  of  Jesus  there  was  something  of  all  these 
thoughts — of  Christ's  lamb-like  innocence  and  faith,  of 
his  high-strung  devotion  likely  to  come  into  painful 
collision  with  a  coarse  v/orld,  and  of  his  death  for  the 
world's  sin.  John  had  predicted  that  Jesus  would  bap- 
tize with  fire — that  is,  that  he  would  fill  his  adherents 
with  holy  passion  and  enthusiasm.  But  how  was  he  to 
do  this  ?  He  would  baptize  them  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
But  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  a  physical  influence:  he 
works  through  ideas  and  emotions.  Where,  then,  were 
the  ideas  and  emotions  to  com.e  from?  We  know 
where,  historically,  they  have  come  from.  They  have 
come  from  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  has  been  by  the 
sight  of  Christ  giving  himself  for  them  that  human 
hearts  have  been  inspired  with  hatred  of  sin,  with  the 
passion  for  holiness,  with  self-sacrifice  and  missionary 
zeal.  This  is  the  Lamb  of  God  that  has,  in  fact, 
taken  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ;  and  the  likehhood 
is  that  it  was  this  Lamb  of  God  that  John,  though 
perhaps  through  a  glass,  darkly,  foresaw. 

On  this  occasion  also  John's  testimony  to  Jesus 
was  accompanied  with  an  unconscious  revelation  of 
his  own  character.  After  one  day  saying,  *'  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God,"  to  his  followers  in  general,  he  said 
it  another  day  to  two  of  them  in  pnrticular,  who  inter- 


THE   TESTIMONY   TO   CHRIST.  23 1 

preted  it  as  a  direction  to  them  to  leave  their  master 
and  follow  a  new  one.  So  John  intended  it.  He  freely 
gave  away  these  two  disciples — two  of  the  best,  for  one 
of  them  was  St.  John,  afterwards  the  Evangelist — and 
others  followed.  It  was  a  hardship  to  part  from  such 
dear  friends  and  companions ;  but  he  deliberately 
brought  the  magnet  into  operation  which,  he  knew, 
would  draw  with  an  irresistible  attraction ;  for  the  best 
hearts  about  him  were,  through  the  influence  of  his 
ministry,  pining  for  the  baptism  of  fire  which  Christ  was 
to  impart. 

The  third  occasion  when  John  bore  conspicuous 
testimony  to  Christ  was  when  "  there  arose  a  question 
between  some  of  John's  disciples  and  the  Jews  about 
purifying."  In  the  revised  version  this  incident  is 
given  more  correctly :  "  there  arose  a  question  on  the 
part  of  John's  disciples  with  a  Jew  about  purifying." 
Who  this  Jew  was  and  what  was  his  motive,  we  are  not 
informed.  The  "purifying,"  however,  about  which  he 
and  they  disputed  would  appear  to  have  been  nothing 
else  than  baptism.  Jesus,  it  seems,  had  followed  the 
example  of  John  by  baptizing  for  a  time,  "  though 
Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but  his  disciples."  And  the 
new  attraction  proved  more  potent  than  the  old,  the 
fickle  crowd  leaving  John  and  flocking  to  the  baptism 
of  his  successor.  If,  as  is  likely,  Jesus  had  begun  to 
preach  as  well  as  baptize,  it  is  easy  to  understand  how 
his  voice,  with  its  gracious  words,  dulled  the  impression 
even  of  John's  eloquence.  Possibly  the  Jew  was  one 
who  had  been  baptized  by  Jesus,  and  the  disciples  of 


232  ST.   JOHN   THE    BAPTIST. 

John  fell  into  dispute  with  him  as  to  whether  the  bap- 
tism of  Christ  was  superior  to  their  master's.  Or  per- 
haps he  was  a  mischief-maker,  who  thought  he  could 
set  the  two  parties  by  the  ears  ;  and  he  commenced 
with  casting  up  to  John's  disciples  that  their  master 
was  being  deserted,  because  the  crowd  was  flocking 
elsewhere. 

If  this  was  his  intention,  he  was  only  too  success- 
ful. There  is  an  unmistakable  tone  of  irritation  in  the 
words  in  which  John  is  addressed  by  his  disciples : 
"  Rabbi,  he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom 
thou  barest  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and 
all  men  come  to  him."  The  suggestion  was  that  Jesus 
had  kicked  away  the  ladder  by  which  he  had  risen,  and 
that  his  success  was  at  the  expense  of  his  friend. 

It  was  such  a  speech  as  would  have  played  havoc 
with  a  little  mind  and  an  unprincipled  soul.  Never  are 
the  suggestions  of  self-love  so  dangerous  as  when  they 
are  whispered  in  the  ear  by  the  flattering  lips  of  sympa- 
thizers. When  thoughts  of  envy  arise  within  our  own 
breasts  we  can  m.ore  easily  recognize  their  true  charac- 
ter ;  but  when  they  are  suggested  by  friends  they  have 
a  deceptive  air  of  impartiality,  and  we  think  we  can 
trust  the  estimates  of  outsiders.  Many  a  man  not  des- 
titute of  either  greatness  or  goodness  has  been  filled 
with  peevishness  and  self-pity,  and  even  with  furious 
jealousy  and  resentment,  by  just  such  suggestions  from 
his  friends  or  family  as  were  made  to  John  by  his  disci- 
ples. 

The  situation,  was,  indeed,  a  trying  one.  There 
are  few  experiences  more  dangerous  to  the  vanity  of 


HIS   TESTIMONY   TO    CHRIST.  233 

human  nature  than  such  a  position  as  John  had  attained, 
with  its  fame  and  rumor,  its  crowds,  its  excitement,  its 
success ;  there  are  few  heads  which  such  an  experience 
will  not  turn.  But,  if  the  tide  of  popularity  ebbs  as 
suddenly  as  it  has  risen,  or  goes  away  to  another  candi- 
date for  public  attention,  the  situation  is  still  more  test- 
ing- ;  in  such  circumstances  the  heart  of  many  a  public 
favorite  has  broken.  When  for  a  lifetime  a  man  has 
stood  on  the  pinnacle  of  influence,  but  at  last  his  day  is 
over  and  another  appears  to  take  his  place,  it  is  a  mira- 
cle of  grace  if  he  is  able  to  look  on  his  successor  with 
friendliness  and  genuine  good-will. 

But  in  John  this  miracle  was  wrought  Not  for 
an  instant  did  he  yield  to  the  querulous  suggestions 
of  his  followers;  but  with  the  utmost  lucidity  and 
serenity  he  set  before  them  the  logic  of  the  situation. 
"  A  man  can  receive  nothing,"  he  told  them,  "  except 
it  be  given  him  from  heaven."  That  is  to  say,  every 
one  has  his  own  gift  and  his  own  place ;  some  must 
be  first,  and  som.e  second ;  there  is  nothing  more 
disastrous  or  ridiculous  than  for  the  second,  instead 
of  filling  his  own  place  and  doing  his  own  work,  to 
be  pining  for  the  place  and  the  work  of  the  first. 
He  had  been  but  as  the  star  which  heralds  the  lamp 
of  day.  "Christ,"  he  said,  ''must  increase,  but  I 
must  decrease" — surely  the  most  beautiful  expression 
of  humility  ever  uttered. 

But  John  rose  far  above  even  this  in  the  glowing 
image  in  which  he  set  forth  the  relation  between 
Christ  and  himself:  "  He  that  hath  the  bride  is  the 
bridegroom ;    but    the  friend  of  the   bridegroom,  who 


234  ST.    JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

standeth  and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly  because 
of  the  bridegroom's  voice;  this  my  joy  therefore  is 
fulfilled."  In  Eastern  countries  the  friend  of  the 
bridegroom  corresponded  to  our  groomsman;  but 
his  duties  were  much  more  comprehensive:  not  only 
had  he  to  superintend  the  arrangem.ents  of  the  mar- 
riage, but  he  had  even  to  act  as  intermediary  in  the 
wooing.  John  had  been  wooing  the  Jewish  people, 
not  for  himself,  but  for  Another ;  but,  as  the  friend  of 
the  bridegroom,  if  he  is  a  true  man,  rejoices  when  the 
bridegroom  comes  upon  the  scene  and  he  can  retire 
into  the  background,  so  he  not  merely  did  not  murmur 
at  the  success  of  Christ,  but  greatly  rejoiced  in  it,  rec- 
ognizing in  it  the  very  object  for  which  he  had  been 
working  all  the  time. 

It  was  nobly  said,  and  it  was  said  from  the  heart ; 
but  how  difficult  it  was  to  say  we  knov/  from,  the 
difficulty  of  saying  it  after  him.  "  He  that  hath  the 
bride  is  the  bridegroom  " — the  luck}^  man,  the  elect 
of  Providence,  wins  the  prize  of  fortune  or  fame,  genius 
or  beauty ;  but  how  hard  it  is,  when  we  discover  that 
the  prize  is  not  to  be  ours,  to  rejoice  in  his  good  for- 
tune !  Even  in  God's  work  it  requires  great  grace  to 
be  glad  that  others  have  obtained  greater  gifts  and 
better  success  ;  but  it  is  a  plain  duty,  and  in  fulfiUing 
it  John  will  be  our  teacher. 

In  this  section  of  John's  life  we  see  two  things 
closely  united — testimony  to  Christ  and  humility  of 
disposition.  The  conjunction  is  a  natural  and  a  hap- 
py  one.      He  who  is  to  bear  witness  to   Christ  must 


HIS   TESTIMONY   TO   CHRIST.  235 

master  his  self-love.  We  cannot  work  lor  Christ's 
honor  and  for  our  own  at  the  same  time.  Those  who 
exhibit  Christ  to  men  must  hide  themselves  behind 
him.  On  the  other  hand,  nothing  tends  so  much  to 
produce  lowly  estimates  of  self  as  to  have  a  high  esti- 
timate  of  Christ.  Let  him  fill  the  eye  and  the  heart, 
and  we  shall  forget  ourselves.  What  many  of  us 
need  to  silence  our  vanity  and  boastfulness  is  to  have 
our  mouth  filled  with  the  praise  of  the  Son  of  God. 


236  ST.    JOHN   THE    JBAPIIST. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   ECLIPSE   OF   HIS   FAITH. 
Matthew  11  :  2-6;  Luke  7  :  19-23. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  incarceration  of 
the  Baptist  will  be  more  appropriately  considered  when 
we  come  to  the  tragedy  of  his  death.  In  the  meantime 
let  it  suffice  to  recall  the  fact  that  his  work  of  reforma- 
tion was  suddenly  and  prematurely  stopped  by  his 
being  shut  up  in  prison ;  and  that  there  he  had  prob- 
ably languished  for  months  before  we  hear  of  him 
again. 

Imprisonment  was  not,  indeed,  in  the  ancient 
world  exactly  the  same  thing  as  it  is  among  us.  A 
prisoner  frequently  enjoyed  a  great  deal  of  freedom, 
and  he  could  generally  be  visited  by  his  friends,  as  is 
indicated  in  the  parable  which  says,  "  I  was  in  prison 
and  ye  came  unto  me."  Hence  the  Baptist  received  in- 
formation of  what  was  taking  place  outside,  and  he  was 
able  to  send  messages  to  whomsoever  he  desired.  One 
day  he  sent  by  two  of  his  disciples  to  Jesus  to  ask,  'Art 
thou  he  that  should  come  ?  or  look  we  for  another  ?" 

Learned  men  have  taken  strange  offence  at  this  nar- 
rative, as  if  it  contradicted  other  parts  of  the  Gospel. 
It  is  held  to  be  totally  irreconcilable  with  the  testimony 
said  to  have  been  borne  to  Christ  by  the  Baptist ;  be- 
cause one  who  had  received  such  divine  tokens  as  were 
vouchsafed  to  John  at   the   baptism  of  Jesus  and  had 


THE   ECLIPSE    OF   HIS   FAITH.  237 

pointed  out  the  Messiah  so  distinctly  could  never  after- 
wards have  asked  such  a  question  as  is  here  attributed 
to  him.  But  this  is  one  of  the  instances  in  which  learn- 
ing overshoots  itself,  and  the  plain  man  or  the  simple 
Christian  is  wiser  than  his  teachers.  Those  who  are 
taught  by  experience  are  well  aware  that  the  soul  has 
its  fainting-fits,  and  that  one  whose  faith  at  one  time  is 
so  great  as  to  remove  mountains  may  at  another  time 
be  weak  and  unbelieving.  In  the  Gospel  the  Baptist  is 
frequently  compared  with  the  prophet  Elijah ;  and,  if 
ever  there  was  a  man  who  was  a  giant  in  faith,  it  was 
Elijah ;  yet  Elijah  had  his  hour  of  weakness  too.  He 
who  on  Mount  Carmel  was  able  to  stand  up  without 
flinching  in  the  face  of  the  prophets  of  Baal  and  the 
thousands  of  Israel  was  found  on  another  occasion,  in  a 
pessimistic  mood,  far  from  the  confines  of  the  Holy 
Land,  a  fugitive  from  his  work,  and  wishing  only  for 
himself  that  he  might  die.  Even  our  Lord  himself  had 
his  Gethsemane,  when  he  prayed,  "  Father,  if  it  be  pos- 
sible, let  this  cup  pass  from  me." 

In  the  hope  of  averting  from  John  the  reproach  of 
being  a  doubter,  some  have  supposed  that  it  was  not 
for  his  own-  sake  but  for  the  sake  of  his  disciples  that  he 
sent  the  message.  He  never  doubted,  it  is  thought,  but 
his  disciples  did;  they  clung  too  tenaciously  to  their 
own  master  and  raised  all  kinds  of  objections  to  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus.  In  order  to  convince  them  John 
sent  them  to  Jesus  himself,  being  confident  that  in  his 
immediate  neighborhood  they  would  see  things  which 
would  convince  them  and  receive  from  the  lips  of 
Christ  an  answer  which  would  be  irresistible.     But  the 


238  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

reply  of  Jesus  seems  too  directly  addressed  to  John  to 
admit  of  such  an  explanation. 

Others  have  seen  in  John's  question  an  utterance 
not  of  scepticism  but  of  impatience.  Jesus  was  too 
slow,  John  thought,  and  needed  to  be  told  what  was 
expected  of  him.  Hence,  he  sent  him  a  broad  hint  that, 
if  he  was  to  make  any  impression  on  the  popular  mind, 
he  must  change  his  method  and  act  in  a  way  more 
characteristic  of  the  Messiah.  If  this  was  John's 
thought  he  was  not  the  only  one  of  the  friends  of 
Jesus  who  took  upon  himself  to  administer  such  hints. 
Others  also  were  disappointed  with  his  slowness  and 
attempted  to  hurry  him.  But  Jesus  always  rejected 
such  advice  with  indignation,  and  to  offer  it  implied  the 
most  serious  scepticism ;  for,  if  Jesus  really  was  the 
Messiah,  was  he  not  far  more  capable  than  any  adviser 
of  knowing  the  times  and  the  seasons  ? 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  causes  which 
led  to  the  obscuration  of  the  Baptist's  faith.  He  was  a 
child  of  the  desert,  accustomed  to  free  movement  in  the 
open  air,  and  in  a  prison  he  was  like  a  caged  eagle. 
His  reformatory  work  had  been  abruptly  interrupted  in 
full  tide ;  and  the  impulses  of  enthusiasm  and  activity 
were  rolled  back  cold  upon  his  heart.  Besides,  Jesus 
was  a  Messiah  very  different  from  the  one  he  had  antici- 
pated ;  John  expected  him  to  take  to  himself  his  great 
power  and  reign.  Might  it  not,  for  example,  have 
been  taken  for  granted  that  the  Messiah  could  not 
allow  his  own  forerunner  to  languish  in  prison  ?  If  he 
were  king,  the  Herods  as  well  as  the  Romans  would 
have  to  resign  their  power,  and  the  victims  of  their 


THE   ECLIPSE   OF   HIS   FAITH.  239 

jealousy  and  injustice  would  march  out  of  confinement. 
But  month  after  month  passed  and  Jesus  made  no  sign  ; 
it  looked  as  if  he  had  forgotten  his  friend. 

The  Baptist's  scepticism  was  real,  but  it  was  hon- 
est ;  and  we  may  learn  from  him  how  to  manage  our 
own  doubts. 

Observe  three  things. 

First,  he  put  his  doubts  into  words.  Doubt  is 
most  dangerous  when  it  is  vague;  condense  it  into 
definite  questions  and  immediately  the  light  begins  to 
break.  Put  it,  for  example,  into  John's  questions:  "Art 
thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for  another?' 
"He  that  should  come" — how  much  faith  is  in  that! 
When  once  the  heart  is  persuaded  that  there  is  some 
one  who  should  come — some  one  who  must  come 
because  he  is  indispensable,  to  loose  the  bands  of  sin 
and  to  unite  to  God— it  is  not  far  from  faith  in  Christ. 
For,  put  the  other  question,  "  Look  we  for  another  ?" 
if  Jesus  of  Nazareth  be  not  the  Man  of  men,  where  are 
we  to  look  for  him  ? 

Secondly,  John  sent  direcdy  to  Christ.  He  did  not 
go  on  devouring  his  own  heart  in  his  cell ;  nor  did  he 
do  what  would  have  been  worse,  grumble  to  his  disci- 
ples. Scepticism  would  be  short-lived  if  we  brought 
our  doubts  at  once  to  God.  He  was  a  wise  man  who, 
in  religious  darkness,  cried  out,  "  Save  me,  O  God,  if 
there  be  a  God." 

Thirdly,  John  never  thought  of  withdrawing  his 
condemnation  of  the  conduct  of  Herod  and  Herodias. 
Some  have  spoken  of  his  doubt  as  treachery  ;  but  this 
is  quite  an  exaggeration.    It  would  have  been  treachery 


240  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

if,  believing  himself  deceived  and  neglected,  he  had 
made  this  an  excuse  for  renouncing  his  testimony  and 
so  obtaining  release  from  prison.  Never  is  rehgious 
doubt  so  dangerous  as  when  it  is  made  an  excuse  for 
giving  the  reins  to  the  flesh.  He  who,  though  per- 
plexed in  faith,  remains  pure  in  deeds,  will  ultimately 
fight  his  way  through  doubt  and  come  safely  out  on  the 
other  side. 

Jesus  did  not  go  far  for  an  answer  to  John's  ques- 
tion. Apparently  the  Baptist's  messengers  came  upon 
him  in  one  of  those  moments  of  holy  excitement  when 
he  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  the  diseased,  whom 
he  was  healing,  and  by  a  still  larger  multitude  of  the 
common  people,  to  whom  he  was  preaching;  and, 
pointing  to  the  double  crowd,  the  Saviour  said,  "Go 
your  way  and  tell  John  what  things  ye  have  seen 
and  heard :  how  that  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  the 
lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised, 
to  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached." 

Apparently,  in  shaping  this  reply,  he  had  in  his 
mind  the  words  of  Isaiah  :  "  Then  the  eyes  of  the  bhnd 
shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  un- 
stopped :  then  shall  the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart  and 
the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing."  Thus  had  the  evangeli- 
cal prophet  described  the  Messianic  age ;  and  here, 
Jesus  hints,  is  the  prophecy  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 

This  reply  shows  the  importance  attached  by  Jesus 
to  his  own  miracles.  In  our  day  there  is  a  tendency  to 
slight  the  evidential  value  of  miracles.  It  is  frequently 
said  we  beheve  in  the  miracles  because  we  believe  in 
Christ,   not  in  Christ   because   of  his  miracles.     The 


THE    ECLIPSE   OF   HIS   FAITH.  24I 

warning  was  recently  given  by  a  person  of  eminence  to 
the  students  of  a  theological  seminary  that,  if  they 
wished  to  win  the  present  generation  and  attract  culti- 
vated minds,  they  must  emphasize  the  ethical  elements 
of  Christianity,  but  keep  the  miraculous  in  the  back- 
ground. Now,  there  is  a  way  of  stopping  the  mouth  of 
inquiry  with  miracle  that  is  certain  to  repel  though^ul 
minds — as,  for  instance,  when  the  Bible  is  first  proved 
to  be  inspired  and  then  the  demand  is  made  that  every- 
thing contained  in  it  be  accepted  without  any  attempt 
to  comprehend  it.  If  the  Bible  is  from  God  then  all  it 
contains  must  be  reasonable,  because  God  is  the  Su- 
preme Reason  ;  and,  therefore,  the  human  reason  should 
be  invited  to  apply  all  its  powers  to  the  comprehension 
of  the  statements  of  the  Bible.  In  the  miracles  attrib- 
uted to  the  Saviour  there  is  a  divine  reasonableness, 
and,  therefore,  they  ought  never  to  be  presented  to  faith 
as  mere  wonders,  but  in  their  fine  congruity  with  the 
character  and  the  work  of  Christ.  But  to  suppress  the 
miraculous  element  in  the  gospel  is  not  the  way  to  win 
the  world  or  to  form  a  powerful  Christianity.  The  im- 
age of  Christ  which  has  cast  a  spell  over  the  human 
mind,  and  more  and  more  is  drawing  all  men  to  him,  is 
one  into  which  miracle  enters.  Some,  indeed,  at  pres- 
ent, even  in  the  Christian  camp,  are  trying  to  persuade 
us  that  we  may  safely  drop  from  our  conception  of 
Christ  both  his  supernatural  birth  and  his  bodily  resur- 
rection. But  this  impaired  and  mutilated  conception  of 
Christ  has  been  often  weighed  in  the  balance  of  experi- 
ence and  always  found  wanting.  This  is  not  "  he  that 
should  come."     The  world  requires  a  divine  Saviour ; 

16 


242  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

and  that  Jesus  Christ  is  he  is  proved  partly  at  least  by 
his  miracles,  and  especially  by  the  miracle  of  his  resur- 
rection. 

It  may  be  remarked  in  passing  that  one  of  the  most 
striking  evidences  in  favor  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus  is 
found  in  the  statement  of  one  of  the  Gospels  that 
"John  did  no  miracle."  Every  theory  of  the  mira- 
cles of  Christ  invented  in  the  present  century  by  un- 
belief amounts  to  this — that  the  age  in  which  Christi- 
anity arose  was  a  superstitious  one,  which  almost 
unconsciously  wove  round  remarkable  personages  a 
halo  of  miracle.  Religious  minds  were  especially  in- 
fluenced by  the  desire  to  place  the  leading  figures  of 
the  Christian  movement  on  a  level  with  the  foremost 
personages  of  the  Old  Testament;  and,  as  miracles 
had  been  attributed  to  Moses  and  other  prophets,  so 
the  feeding  of  thousands  with  a  few  loaves  and  the 
resurrection  of  dead  persons  appear  as  facts  in  the 
Christian  records.  The  whole  theory,  however,  breaks 
down  in  the  case  of  the  Baptist.  If  this  myth-making 
tendency  was  so  natural  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  it 
should  not  have  applied  to  him.  Indeed,  this  would 
have  been  inevitable,  because  the  idea  pervades  the 
Gospels  that  John  was  a  new  Elijah  ;  and  the  Elijah  of 
the  Old  Testament  is  a  conspicuous  miracle-worker. 
Why  did  not  Christian  tradition  invent  for  John  a  cycle 
of  wonders  to  bring  him  up  to  the  level  of  his  proto- 
type ?  The  very  last  reason  for  any  statement  in  the 
Gospels  which  it  occurs  to  scholarship  of  a  certain 
type  to  think  of  is  that  the  event  recorded  actually  took 
place.     Yet  the  Gospel,  which  records  the  miracles  of 


THE   ECLIPSE   OF   HIS   FAITH.  243 

Jesus,  says  with  simple  veracity  of  his  forerunner,  **John 
did  no  miracle." 

The  proof  which  Jesus  submitted  of  his  own  claims 
was  an  appeal  to  what  he  was  doing.  And  this  will 
always  be  the  best  evidence  of  Christianity — when  it  is 
able  to  point  to  what  it  can  do.  Christianity  does  not, 
indeed,  now  miraculously  heal  deafness,  blindness, 
leprosy,  and  the  like  ;  but,  as  Jesus  promised,  it  does 
greater  things  than  these.  By  the  diffusion  of  the 
spirit  of  philanthropy  and  by  the  use  of  scientific  skill 
in  the  service  of  charity  it  not  only  heals  all  manner  of 
diseases,  but — what  is  far  better — it  is  learning  to  pre- 
vent disease  and  to  lengthen  life  on  the  large  scale.  It 
is  making  men  and  women  new  creatures  :  it  is  making 
the  brutal  wife-beater  a  tender  husband,  the  drunkard  a 
sober  man,  the  harlot  pure,  the  thief  honest.  It  is 
transforming  savage  countries,  which  have  been  the 
abodes  of  horrid  cruelty,  into  abodes  of  civilization,  and 
changing  the  dregs  of  society  into  good  citizens  and 
members  of  churches.  The  scepticism  of  last  century 
is  usually  supposed  to  have  received  its  quietus  through 
the  pubhcation  of  Paley's  "  Evidences  "  and  Butler's 
"Analogy ;  "  but  it  may  be  doubted  if  this  be  the  correct 
reading  of  history.  I  should  attribute  the  restoration 
of  belief  in  at  least  an  equal  degree  to  the  practical 
labors  of  Wesley  and  Whiteheld.  The  church  which 
saves  most  souls  and  does  most  to  sweeten  and  purify 
L^pmestic  and  political  life  is  the  church  which  is  doing 
most  to  counterwork  scepticism.  The  best  evidence  of 
Christianity  is  a  converted  man. 

Jesus   himself,  in  reply  to  the  Baptist,  laid  spe- 


244  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

cial  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  he  preached  the  Gospel 
to  the  poor,  bringing  in  this  after  the  mention  of 
his  miracles,  as  if  it  were  the  climax  of  the  whole 
demonstration.  And  Christianity  can  never  offer  a 
more  impressive  evidence  of  divinity  than  when  it 
is  able  to  say,  "  To  the  poor  the  Gospel  is  preached." 
Over  the  entrance  to  the  school  of  one  of  the  greatest 
philosophers  of  Greece  the  legend  was  inscribed: 
"  Let  none  ignorant  of  mathematics  enter  here." 
This  was  proof  enough  that  not  in  philosophy  lies 
the  salvation  of  mankind,  for  the  mass  of  our  race 
will  always  be  ignorant  of  mathematics.  But  by 
preaching  to  the  poor  Christianity  shows  that  it  is 
adapted  to  all,  approaching  men  at  that  level  where 
they  are  all  alike  and  where  are  found  their  most 
cardinal  wants ;  and  it  proves  at  the  same  time  that 
it  is  animated  with  the  spirit  of  Him  who  has  made 
of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  to  dwell  on  the  face 
of  all  the  earth,  and  who  regards  the  humblest  of  his 
creatures  with  a  Father's  love. 

To  his  message  to  the  Baptist  our  Lord  added 
what  may  be  called  a  postscript ;  and,  as  the  post- 
script of  a  letter  sometimes  contains  the  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  whole  communication,  so  Jesus 
sent  to  John  one  of  the  weightiest  words  he  ever 
uttered,  when  he  added,  "  And  blessed  is  he  whoso- 
ever shall  not  be  offended  in  me." 

It  was  a  solemn  warning,  yet  the  wording  of  it  was 
managed  with  consummate  skill.  Jesus  might  have 
said,  "  And  cursed  is  he  whosoever  shall  be  offended 


THE   ECLIPSE    OF   HIS   FAITH.  245 

in  me ;"  but  that  way  of  putting  it  might  have  in- 
flamed a  hot  spirit  Hke  John's;  so  Jesus,  with  his 
perfect  tact,  put  it  the  other  way,  yet  in  words  fitted 
to  excite  in  John's  mind  a  fear  of  that  which  he  had 
not  expressed. 

John  was  in  a  dangerous  state  of  mind.  If  he  had 
given  way  to  his  pessimistic  mood  he  might  have 
stumbled  over  the  stone  which  he  had  been  sent  to 
lay  in  Zion  as  the  chief  corner-stone.  His  doubt 
might  have  ripened  into  denial ;  and  he  might  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  not  the  Messiah. 
To  prevent  this,  Jesus  warned  him  not  to  give  way  to 
feeling,  but  to  think:  to  think,  that  he  who  had 
already  fulfilled  so  large  a  portion  of  the  Messianic 
programme,  sketched  by  Isaiah,  might  be  trusted  to 
fulfil  the  rest;  to  tliink,  that  it  was  not  for  him  to 
prescribe  the  path  of  One  whom  he  had  acknowledged 
to  be  far  greater  than  himself,  but  to  leave  it  to  his 
superior  wisdom. 

There  was  another  danger  to  which  John  was 
exposed.  He  was  a  leader  of  men;  he  had  many 
disciples,  and  his  word  carried  weight  with  multi- 
tudes in  every  part  of  the  country ;  if  he  had  gone 
wrong,  and  declared  against  the  claims  of  Christ,  he 
would  have  led  others  astray  besides  himself,  and  his 
declaration  could  not  but  have  been  prejudicial  to 
Christ's  cause. 

The  question  is  sometimes  raised,  whether  men 
are  responsible  for  their  opinions,  and  whether  God 
will  punish  men  for  their  unbelief  if  they  have  honesdy 
been  unable  to  believe  in  Christ.     This  is  a  much  more 


246  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIFT. 

difficult  question  than  many  think.  It  is  easy  to  take 
for  granted  that  doubt  is  honest.  But  in  reality  it 
may  not  be  so.  It  may  be  a  vague  mist  of  opinion,  in 
which  the  mind  has  allowed  itself  to  become  enveloped 
because  it  has  never  had  the  courage  to  think  its  doubts 
through.  There  may  be  vanity  in  it ;  for  skepticism 
is  sometimes  worn  as  a  feather  in  the  cap.  The  claims 
of  Christ  are  so  great  and  have  so  much  prima  facie 
authority  that  no  one  in  a  right  state  of  mind  can  reject 
them  without  long  labor  and  much  pain.  The  respon- 
sibility of  communicating  doubt  to  others,  that  they 
may  be  withdrawn  from  the  faith  of  Christ,  is  greater 
still ;  and  those  who  feel  that  their  duty  lies  that  way 
may  well  beforehand  ponder  this  word,  "  Blessed  is  he 
whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  me." 

To  a  vast  multitude  in  Christian  lands,  however, 
this  word  of  Christ  conveys  a  different  message.  They 
may  have  no  intellectual  doubts  about  Christ,  believing 
him  to  be  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the 
world ;  but  they  are  offended  in  him  in  another  way. 
They  are  offended  by  his  cross ;  they  are  afraid  to  con- 
fess him  and  to  take  the  consequences.  Their  convic- 
tions about  Christ  are  going  one  way  and  their  conduct 
the  other.  Far  oftener  Christ  addressed  himself  to  this 
state  of  mind,  and  about  it  he  expressed  himself  more 
plainly  :  "  Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men, 
him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven ;  but  whosoever  shall  deny  me  before  men,  him 
will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 


HIS    EULOGY.  247 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HIS   EULOGY. 

Matthew  11:7-19;  Luke  7:24-35. 

It  was  as  the  messengers  of  the  Baptist  departed 
that  "Jesus  began  to  speak  unto  the  multitudes  con- 
cerning John."  When  people  have  departed,  the  lan- 
guage which  breaks  out  behind  their  backs  about 
them  and  their  friends  is  too  frequently  of  a  questiona- 
ble order.  Gossip  only  waits  till  the  door  is  shut  be- 
hind a  visitor  before  canvassing  every  defect  in  his 
appearance  and  ripping  up  the  seams  of  his  character. 
Those  who  have  been  all  smiles  and  flattery  to  a  per- 
son present  will  dissect  with  the  most  venomous  relish 
the  same  person  absent.  But  how  different  was  Jesus, 
and  what  an  example  he  has  left  in  this  as  in  other  par- 
ticulars !  While  John's  messengers  were  present  he 
was  silent  in  his  praise  ;  indeed,  he  spoke  rather  in  a 
tone  of  reproof.  But  no  sooner  were  they  out  of  ear- 
shot than  he  broke  out  in  language  of  the  warmest 
eulogy,  as  if  his  admiration  had  been  pent  up,  and 
rushed  forth  as  soon  as  it  could  find  an  outlet. 

There  are  few  things  in  biography  more  beautiful 
than  the  relations  to  one  another  of  John  and  Jesus. 
John's  trial  took  place  when  the  multitude  forsook  him 
and  went  away  to  Jesus.  Others  envied  for  his  sake ; 
but  not  a  thought  of  the  kind  could  find  its  v.ay  into 
his  heart;  he  only  said,  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must 


248  ST.  JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

decrease."  The  trial  of  Jesus,  on  the  other  hand, 
arrived  when  John  sent  his  messengers  to  ask  a  depre- 
ciatory question.  But  He  did  not  resent  it.  His  lan- 
guage about  John  is  full  of  generosity.  There  is  in  it 
even  a  poetic  intensity,  which  shows  from  what  a  warm 
place  in  his  heart  it  came. 

Four  things  about  John  are  embraced  in  Christ's 
panegyric :  his  personal  character,  his  prophetic  great- 
ness, his  success,  and  his  failure. 

The  opening  words — "  What  went  ye  out  into  the 
wilderness  to  see?  A  reed  shaken  with  the  wind? 
But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  man  clothed  in 
soft  raiment  ?  Behold,  they  that  wear  soft  clothing  are 
in  kings'  houses  " — appear  intended  to  protect  John 
from  the  unfavorable  impressions  which  may  have  been 
made  by  his  own  message.  The  question,  "  Art  Thou 
He  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for  another?" 
might  have  suggested  in  John  a  certain  fickleness 
when  contrasted  with  the  emphasis  of  his  earlier  testi- 
mony ;  and  it  suggested  an  impatience  which  might  be 
attributed  to  dissatisfaction  with  the  hardships  which  he 
was  enduring.  Was  John,  then,  a  changeable  mortal, 
sighing  for  release  and  comfort  ?  From  such  a  carica- 
ture Jesus  lifted  the  minds  of  the  listeners  to  the  image 
of  the  real  John  as  he  appeared  in  the  days  of  his 
prime.  Was  he,  whom  they  went  out  into  the  wilder- 
ness to  see,  a  reed  shaken  with  the  wind — one  whom 
the  wind  of  popular  favor  could  sway  this  way  or  that, 
as  it  listed,  or  the  stormy  wind  of  persecution  bend  and 
break?     Was  he  not,  on  the  contrary,  an  Elijah-like 


HIS   EULOGY.  249 

figure — one  fit  to  stand  up  against  any  odds  and  face 
the  frowns  of  a  hostile  world  ?  Was  he  a  man  clothed 
in  soft  raiment — one  who  loved  his  ease  and  shrank 
terrified  from  suffering  ?  They  could  not  but  remem- 
ber the  emaciated  figure  and  the  coarse  and  scanty  garb 
of  the  man  of  the  desert.  He  had,  indeed,  had  an  op- 
portunity of  being  a  courtier,  because  Herod  had  cast 
on  him  a  favoring  eye  and  listened  to  his  preaching 
with  delight ;  but  it  was  well  known  what  use  he  had 
made  of  this  opportunity — not  in  such  a  way  as  to  be 
included  among  those  who  are  gorgeously  apparelled 
and  live  delicately  in  kings'  courts,  but  in  such  a  way 
as  to  doom  himself  to  a  dungeon. 

Such  was  John — the  uncompromising  witness,  able 
to  stand  like  an  iron  pillar  and  a  brazen  wall  against 
whosoever  ventured  to  oppose  the  truth,  the  self-deny- 
ing ascetic  whom  no  threats  could  intimidate  or  suffer- 
ings tame — and  Jesus  loved  to  paint  him  in  the  glory 
of  his  prime.  God  always  sees  the  best  of  his  servants 
and  places  their  character  and  their  services  in  the  most 
favorable  light :  not  his  the  petty  spirit  which  criticises 
everything  that  is  high  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  it 
low,  or  judges  a  man  by  his  worst  hour  rather  than  by 
his  best. 

It  has  been  said  that  every  man  of  prophetic  endow- 
ment has  to  pass  through  the  stages  of  criticism  against 
which  John  was  defended  by  Jesus.  First,  when  he 
begins  to  attract  attention,  he  is  said  to  be  a  reed  sha- 
ken with  the  wind  :  he  is  waiting  for  the  popular  breeze 
and  will  bend  any  way,  as  influence  is  brought  to  bear 
upon  him.     By  and  by,  when  he  has  conquered  popu- 


2  50  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

larity,  he  is  assailed  with  the  second  accusation — that 
he  is  a  man  clothed  in  soft  raiment ;  he  is  making  his 
friends  among  the  rich  and  powerful,  and  is  intent  on 
feathering  his  own  nest.  Only  after  running  the  gaunt- 
let of  such  criticism  does  he  at  last  wring  from  the 
minds  of  his  contemporaries  the  acknowledgment  that 
he  is  a  prophet.  Perhaps  this  is  true,  and  it  is  a  lesson 
for  the  critics  ;  but  there  is  a  solemn  lesson  for  the 
man  himself  Any  one  endowed  with  the  prophetic 
gift  will  be  tempted  at  precisely  these  points.  He  will 
be  tempted  first  to  use  the  gift  of  speech  for  the  gratifi- 
cation of  his  own  vanity,  being  puffed  up  or  cast  down 
according  as  the  multitude  follow  him  and  the  organs  of 
public  opinion  praise  him  or  not.  Then,  after  his  posi- 
tion is  won  and  his  fame  established,  he  will  be  tempted 
to  use  his  gifts  to  shape  for  himself  a  comfortable  place 
in  society.  And  only  after  he  has  surmounted  both 
forms  of  temptation  will  he  approve  himself  a  true 
prophet  of  the  Lord. 

The  Baptist,  then,  was  no  reed  shaken  with  the 
wind  or  softly  clothed  courtier,  but  a  true  prophet. 
"  Yea,"  the  Lord  added,  **  and  more  than  a  prophet ;  for 
this  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written,  Behold,  I  send  my  mes- 
senger before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  be- 
fore thee.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  among  them  that  are 
born  of  women  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than  John 
the  Baptist;  notwithstanding,  he  that  is  least  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he." 

This  is  high  and  almost,  one  would  think,  excess- 
ive praise.     Among  those  born  of  women,  before  the 


HIS   EULOGY.  251 

birth  of  Christ,  must  we  regard  John  the  Baptist  as  the 
very  greatest  man  ?  Was  he  greater  than  Moses, 
Ehjah,  David,  Isaiah  ;  or — to  glance  beyond  the  elect 
people — greater  than  Homer  and  Plato,  Sakya-muni 
and  Confucius?  Probably  this  was  not  what  Jesus 
meant ;  and  the  difference  in  his  meaning  points  to  a 
profound  difference  between  the  human  and  the  divine 
way  of  estimating  greatness.  We  measure  greatness 
by  the  size  of  the  brain — by  what  we  call  briUiance, 
talent,  genius.  This  flatters  human  vanity ;  and  out  of 
it  arise  the  extravagances  of  hero-worship  and  the 
madnesses  of  ambition.  But  God's  way  of  estimating 
greatness  is  different:  greatness  is  to  be  sought  in  faith- 
fulness to  duty,  in  the  humility  with  which  the  gifts  of 
God  are  received  and  utilized ;  above  all,  in  nearness 
to  God  himself.  John  was  greater  than  all  who  had 
gone  before  him,  not  because  the  force  of  his  manhood 
surpassed  that  of  Moses,  or  because  his  prophetic  style 
excelled  that  of  Isaiah — for  they  did  not — but  because 
he  was  nearer  to  the  divine  Light  which  was  coming  into 
the  world,  and  to  him  was  vouchsafed  the  unique  privi- 
lege of  introducing  it  to  mankind. 

This  explains  the  remarkable  statement :  "  Not- 
withstanding, he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  greater  than  he."  The  comparison  is  not  in  refer- 
ence to  character  or  performance,  but  in  reference  to 
position  and  privilege.  In  a  somewhat  similar  way  we 
might  say  that  a  student  of  to-day  is  greater  in  me- 
chanics than  Archimedes  or  in  astronomy  than  Coper- 
nicus ;  not  in  the  sense  that  he  has  greater  mechanical 
or  astronomical  genius,  but  in  the  sense  that  his  position 


252  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

in  time  lifts  him  over  the  heads  of  those  men  of  the 
past.  John  is  regarded  as  still  belonging-  to  the  Old 
Testament  era,  although  so  near  the  New  Testament 
era  as  to  be  able  to  touch  it  and,  therefore,  greater  than 
those  more  remote  from  it ;  but  those  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament era,  even  the  least  of  them,  are  greater  than  he. 

The  New  Testament  era  is  here  called  "  the  king- 
dom of  heaven ;"  and  this  suggests  a  comparison.  We 
are  accustomed  to  divide  nature  into  three  kingdoms — 
the  mineral,  the  vegetable  and  the  animal.  Now,  it  can 
be  said  that  what  is  least  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  is 
greater  than  that  which  is  greatest  in  the  mineral  king- 
dom, and  that  what  is  least  in  the  animal  kingdom  is 
greater  than  that  which  is  greatest  in  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  So  he  that  is  least  in  the  kingdom  of  God, 
as  Christ  set  it  up  in  the  world,  is  greater  than  he  that 
was  greatest  in  the  imperfect  dispensation  of  the  Old 
Testament,  just  as  he  that  was  least  there  was  greater 
than  the  greatest  in  the  world  which  lay  outside  the 
sphere  of  revelation. 

Such  is  the  tenor  of  the  whole  New  Testament.  It 
will  be  remembered  how  St.  Paul  contrasts  the  minis- 
tration of  condemnation,  as  he  calls  the  Old  Testament, 
with  the  ministration  of  the  Spirit,  as  he  calls  the  New 
Testament.  The  Old  Testament  was,  indeed,  glorious 
in  comparison  with  the  surrounding  world;  "  but  even 
that  which  was  made  glorious  had  no  glory  in  this  re- 
spect by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth.  For  if  that 
which  is  done  away  is  glorious,  much  more  that  which 
remaineth  is  glorious." 

We  may  well  inquire  wherein  this  glory  or  great- 


HIS   EULOGY.  253 

ress  consists  ;  for,  if  we  are  Ciiristians,  it  belongs  to  us. 
Everyone  who  is  in  Christ  is  greater  than  was  Abra- 
ham or  Moses,  Isaiah  or  John  the  Baptist.  This  is  not, 
indeed,  a  greatness  of  character,  but  of  position  and 
privilege ;  yet  it  is  meant  to  react  upon  character.  In- 
deed, this  is  the  very  spring  of  New  Testament  morahty  : 
it  is  the  worldly  maxim,  Noblesse  oblige,  raised  to  a 
heavenly  intensity.  Ye  are  risen  with  Christ,  therefore 
rise  with  him  to  newness  of  life ;  ye  are  seated  with  him 
in  the  heavenly  places,  wherefore  set  your  affections  on 
things  above.  This  is  the  strain  of  the  whole  New 
Testam.ent :  it  is  from  the  sense  of  being  ideally  lifted 
up  into  a  region  of  holiness  and  blessedness  through 
our  connection  with  Christ  that  we  are  supplied  with 
the  motive  and  the  power  for  the  real  conflict  with  evil. 
"Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people;  that  ye  should  show 
forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of 
darkness  into  his  marvelous  light." 

From  the  Baptist's  personal  character  and  his 
official  greatness  the  Lord  goes  on  to  speak  of  the 
success  of  his  work:  "  From  the  days  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist until  now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence 
and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  These  words  are 
difficult;  but  not  a  few  misinterpretations,  which  need 
not  be  mentioned,  fall  away  v/hen  we  observe  that  Jesus 
is  still  being  carried  forward  on  the  tide  of  eulogy,  and 
that  these  words,  therefore,  are  words  of  praise,  not  of 
blame. 

What  John  had  done  was  to  set  the  kingdom  of 


254  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

heaven  in  the  midst,  where  it  attracted  the  thoughts, 
the  desires  and  the  conversation  of  men.  Through  his 
eyes  his  hearers  saw  the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  a  city 
of  which  they  must  get  possession,  and,  like  resolute 
besiegers,  not  to  be  baulked,  they  were  ready  to  do  and 
to  sacrifice  everything  in  order  to  obtain  this  object  of 
desire:  "  the  violent  take  it  by  force." 

The  words,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth 
violence,"  would  not  mean  anything  more  than  is  ex- 
pressed by  the  second  clause,  "  The  violent  take  it  by 
force."  But  perhaps  a  better  translation  would  be, 
"cometh  in  with  violence;"  and  this  would  naturally 
refer  to  the  earnestness  with  which  it  was  preached, 
whereas  the  other  clause  refers  to  the  earnestness  of  the 
hearers.  With  this  agrees  the  version  of  St.  Luke  : 
"  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  preached,  and  every  one 
presseth  into  it."  John  had  not  only  been  an  earnest 
preacher  himself,  but  he  had  raised  up  a  race  of  preach- 
ers like-minded ;  and  these  earnest  preachers  made 
earnest  hearers. 

Whether  in  the  words,  "  The  violent  take  it  by 
force,"  any  reference  is  made  to  the  character  of  John's 
converts  is  not  certain.  At  any  rate,  his  converts  were 
the  violent  rather  than  the  respectable.  To  the  respect- 
able Jesus  said  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  "John  came 
unto  you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye  believed 
him  not ;  but  the  pubhcans  and  harlots  believed  him." 
There  was  an  element  of  violence  in  John's  preaching  ; 
it  was  full  of  wrath  and  menace ;  it  was  not  the  pure  or 
the  full  gospel.  His  hearers  also  were  yery  imperfect  ; 
their  previous  lives  had  been  violent  and  their  appre- 


HIS   EULOGY.  255 

hension  of  the  kingdom  of  God  was  very  defective ;  yet 
his  was  a  genuine  work,  and  it  caused  a  genuine  revi- 
val. Sometimes  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  may  not 
be  very  refined ;  there  may  be  too  much  terror  in  it, 
and  it  may  lack  the  sweetness  and  light  of  mature 
Christianity.  Yet,  if  it  comes  with  pov/er  from  the  heart 
of  the  preacher,  it  may  do  infinitely  more  good  than  a 
perfect  form  of  sound  words  preached  without  earnest- 
ness. Hearers  awakened  in  open-air  meetings  or  mis- 
sion halls  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  may  press 
into  the  kingdom,  while  many  who  have  heard  the  gos- 
pel for  a  Hfetime  in  fashionable  churches  are  dismissed 
into  outer  darkness. 

Up  to  this  point  Jesus  has  proceeded  in  the  strain 
of  panegyric ;  here,  however,  comes  a  "but" — "But 
whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation  ?  It  is  like  unto 
children  sitting  in  the  markets  and  calling  unto  their 
fellows,  We  have  piped  unto  you  and  ye  have  not 
danced ;  we  have  mourned  unto  you  and  ye  have  not 
lamented." 

Now  a  "  but "  after  a  panegyric  is  suspicious.  In 
talking  of  others  we  sometimes  say  a  certain  amount  of 
good,  then  suddenly,  with  a  "  but,"  the  conversation 
takes  a  turn,  and  the  good  already  spoken  is  undone 
by  the  envious  and  malignant  sequel.  The  transition 
in  the  discourse  of  Jesus  was  not  of  this  kind.  He  went 
on,  indeed,  to  speak  of  John's  failure  to  influence  his 
generation  as  a  v/hole ;  but  his  aim  was  not  to  depreci- 
ate John,  but  to  attack  those  who  had  rejected  him. 
And  the  final  proof  of  the  purity  of  his  motive  is  that  at 


256  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

this  point  he  associates  himself  with  John  :  the  failure 
of  the  Baptist  was  also  his  own. 

The  language  in  which  Jesus  here  speaks  is  very 
striking.  It  is  figurative ;  and  this  is  like  him,  for  he 
loved  to  use  similitudes.  The  imagery  is  taken  from 
common  hfe — the  life  of  the  street — and  this  also  is 
characteristic.  It  is  most  characteristic  of  all  that  he 
borrows  from  the  children's  world ;  for  of  that  world  in 
all  its  phases  he  was  lovingly  observant. 

Jesus  had  seen  the  children  in  the  markets — as  we 
may  see  them  in  our  own  streets — playing  at  funerals 
and  marriages.  One  child  would  play  the  chief  mourn- 
er, and  the  others  would  follow  lamenting ;  one  child 
would  play  the  pipe,  or  something  which  could  be 
feigned  to  be  a  pipe,  and  the  rest  would  dance  like  the 
guests  at  a  wedding.  But  soon  the  children  tired,  or 
something  else  attracted  them,  and  the  leader  was  left 
lamenting  or  piping  in  vain. 

And  [there,  said  Jesus,  are  John  and  the  Son  of 
man.  John  came  neither  eating  nor  drinking  :  he  was 
mournful,  ascetic,  funereal ;  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as 
if  the  whole  country  was  to  repent  and  mourn  with 
him.  But  this  seriousness  did  not  last ;  the  penitence 
of  the  people  had  not  gone  deep,  and  their  impressions 
passed  away.  They  threw  the  blame,  however,  on  the 
preacher.  "  He  is  a  little  wrong  in  the  mind,"  they 
said ;  "  he  hath  a  devil."  Then  came  the  Son  of  man, 
eating  and  drinking ;  and  for  a  time  his  flute-like  note 
of  joy  attracted  more  than  had  ever  followed  the 
mournful  lead  of  the  Baptist.  But  neither  were  the 
impressions  permanent  which  He  made ;  the  enthusi- 


HIS   EULOGY.  257 

asm  cooled  down,  life  returned  to  its  ordinary  chan- 
nels, and  they  cast  the  blame  on  him.  "  A  gluttonous 
man,"  they  exclaimed,  '*and  a  winebibber,  a  friend  of 
publicans  and  sinners." 

These  objections  cancelled  one  another.  Had  it 
really  been  because  John  was  too  mournful  that  they 
left  him  they  would  have  clung  to  Jesus,  the  joyful  ; 
had  it  really  been  because  Jesus  was  too  convivial  that 
they  left  him  they  would  have  been  satisfied  with  John. 
But  their  objections  were  merely  excuses.  The  real 
reason  was  that  they  feared  both  John's  ghttering  axe, 
"Repent,"  and  the  winnowing  fan  of  Jesus,  *' If  any 
man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself."  There 
are  always  excuses  in  plenty.  One  day  it  is  too  hot, 
another  too  cold ;  one  church  is  too  empty,  another  too 
full ;  one  preacher  is  too  learned,  another  not  learned 
enough ;  one  congregation  is  too  genteel,  another  too 
common.  But  the  real  reason  is  still  the  old  one — it  is 
dislike  to  rehgion  itself.  Sinners  do  not  wish  to  give 
up  their  sins,  as  John  demanded ;  they  do  not  wish  to 
be  brought  nigh  to  God,  as  Jesus  offered. 

Such  was  our  Lord's  condemnation  of  his  own 
generation;  but  it  does  not  contradict  what  he  had 
already  said  about  John's  success  or  deny  entirely 
success  to  his  own  ministry.  Though  they  had  both 
failed  with  the  generation  as  a  whole,  their  mission  was 
not  wholly  a  failure ;  and  this  is  what  is  expressed  in 
our  Lord's  closing  words  :  "  But  Wisdom  is  justified  of 
her  children."  Those  who  slighted  and  rejected  John 
and  Jesus  practically  condemned  the  divine  Wisdom 
which  had  sent  these  prophets ;    but  there  were  those 

17 


258  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

who  condemned  this  condemnation  and  justified  Wis- 
dom. These  were  Wisdom's  own  children.  In  the 
preaching  of  John  they  recognized  the  accents  of  their 
lost  mother,  and  they  recognized  them  still  more  in  the 
preaching  of  Jesus.  But  most  of  all  did  they  discern 
the  presence  of  divine  wisdom  in  the  combination  ol 
the  two ;  because  John's  preaching  of  repentance  awa- 
kened in  them  the  sense  of  spiritual  need,  and  in 
Christ's  preaching  the  awakened  soul  obtained  com- 
plete satisfaction. 

In  religion  much  depends  on  the  preacher,  and  to 
his  work  is  attached  a  heavy  responsibihty.  But  more 
depends  on  the  hearer.  Even  when  John  and  Jesus 
were  the  preachers  many  hearers  profited  nothing. 
The  preaching  of  repentance  can  do  no  good  when 
sinners  are  determined  not  to  give  up  their  sins ;  and 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  the  gospel  are  spread  out  in 
vain  before  those  who  are  not  hungering  and  thirsting 
after  righteousness. 


^ 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  259 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HIS   MARTYRDOM. 
Matthew  14:1-12;   Mark  6:14-29;    Luke  3:19,  20;   9:7-9. 

We  do  not  know  for  certain  in  what  way  the 
Baptist  was  got  into  the  den  of  Herod.  Den  we  may 
call  it,  because  Jesus  himself  called  Herod  **  that  fox." 
Josephus  says  that  the  Baptist  was  imprisoned  because 
the  tetrarch  feared  that  the  crowds  attracted  by  his 
oreaching  might  be  used  for  revolutionary  purposes. 
Most  likely,  however,  this  was  only  a  pretext,  and  the 
gospels  admit  us  to  the  real  reason. 

Probably  John  first  obtained  access  to  the  palace 
in  the  way  of  his  calling  as  a  prophet.  He  was  reach- 
ing all  classes  of  the  people,  and  he  might  well  be 
gratified  if  anything  opened  the  way  to  the  highest 
circle  of  society ;  for  a  great  preacher  has  a  word  for 
the  highest  as  well  as  the  lowest.  Herod  had  a  taste 
for  preaching  and  probably  invited  the  popular  prophet 
to  visit  him.  As  the  modern  phrase  would  run,  John 
was  commanded  to  preach  before  the  Court.  And 
piquant  must  have  been  the  contrast,  as  the  son  of  the 
desert,  dressed  in  his  ascetic  garb,  trode  the  marble 
floors  and  appeared  in  the  presence  of  those  who  were 
clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen. 

A  palace  offers  a  pulpit  which  a  preacher  might 
envy.  But  it  is  a  perilous  place;  it  has  chilled  the 
message  on  many  a  preacher's  lips,  if  it  has  not  con- 


26o  ST.   JOHN   THE  BAPTIST. 

verted  him  into  a  flatterer  and  a  sycophant.  There 
have  been  shameful  periods,  in  our  own  English  annals, 
when  the  preachers  of  the  Court  have  not  only  spared 
the  sins  of  the  great  but  profited  by  them,  even  bish- 
ops fawning  for  promotion  at  the  heels  of  royal  mis- 
tresses. On  the  other  hand,  when  Court  preachers 
have  been  true  to  their  heavenly  Master  and  dared  to 
speak  the  truth  even  to  royal  ears,  they  have  not  in- 
frequently had  to  risk  not  only  position  but  life  itself; 
and  the  Baptist  is  not  the  only  one,  by  any  means,  who 
has  thus  lost  his  head. 

Herod  the  Great — he  who  ordered  the  massacre 
of  the  babes  of  Bethlehem — left  his  dominions  to  be 
divided  among  four  of  his  sons,  each  of  whom  was 
accordingly  called  a  tetrarch  ;  and  Antipas — the  Herod 
of  the  Baptist's  life — thus  became  ruler  of  Galilee  and 
Peraea.  The  father  had  been  a  man  of  the  most  un- 
bridled passions,  as  well  as  of  ability  and  magnificence, 
and  his  character  was  reproduced  in  this  son ;  though 
the  scope  was  much  curtailed,  he  being  a  mere  crea- 
ture of  the  Roman  masters  of  the  country,  by  whose 
favor  he  was  maintained  in  his  place.  It  was  the  prac- 
tice of  petty  rulers  in  his  position  to  make  frequent 
visits  to  Rome,  where  they  danced  attendance  on  the 
Court,  waiting  for  any  crumbs  of  imperial  patronage 
which  might  come  their  way ;  and  it  was  during  one 
such  visit  to  the  Eternal  City  that  Herod  formed  an 
intrigue  with  Herodias,  the  wife  of  one  of  his  own 
brothers.  It  may  be  mentioned,  as  an  indication  of 
the  disgusting  state  of  morals  which  prevailed  in  the 
Herodian  family,  that   both  the  husband  whom    this 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  261 

princess  was  quitting-  and  the  paramour  whom  she  was 
following  were  her  own  uncles.  Herod's  intention  was 
to  divorce  his  lawful  wife,  when  he  reached  home,  and  to 
marry  Herodias ;  but,  being  informed  beforehand  of 
what  was  impending,  his  wife  fled,  before  the  approach 
of  the  guilty  pair,  to  her  father,  Aretas,  King  of 
Arabia. 

The  relation  of  Herod  and  Herodias  was,  thus,  of 
the  grossest  kind ;  and  an  honest  preacher  could  not 
obtain  access  to  the  royal  ear  without  stigmatizing  so 
great  a  scandal.  John  did  not  go  about  the  bush. 
Herod  expected  to  hear  the  silken  accents  of  oratory  : 
but  what  he  heard  was  a  voice  like  the  sound  of  a 
trumpet,  saying  without  circumlocution,  "  It  is  not  lawful 
for  thee  to  have  her."  This  v/as  a  sound  unspeakably 
disconcerting,  which  it  would  never  have  done  to  allow 
inside  the  palace,  and  so  John  was  cast  into  prison ; 
the  reason  which  Josephus  gives  being  perhaps  assigned 
as  a  pretext,  because  the  real  reason  could  not  be 
avowed. 

Although  the  tetrarch  had  shut  John  up  in  prison 
he  was  not,  it  would  appear,  incensed  against  him ;  for 
St.  Mark's  statement,  that  he  "  heard  him  gladly,"  ap- 
pears to  refer  to  the  period  of  imprisonment.  As  the 
prisoner  St.  Paul  had  the  privilege  of  preaching  to  Felix 
and  Festus,  Agrippa  and  Bernice,  so,  it  would  seem, 
John,  though  a  prisoner,  appeared  before  the  Court  and 
that  again  and  again.  Herod  was  a  clever  man ;  but 
his  abiHty,  being  cramped  in  a  position  where  he  had 
little  real  power,  ran   to  seed  in  a  passion  for  novelty 


262  ST.    JOHN   THE    BAPTIST. 

and  excitement.  The  Baptist  was  an  original ;  he  was 
a  man  of  mind,  whose  ideas  were  fresh  ;  his  appear- 
ance was  striking  and  his  deHvery  forcible;  and  the 
tetrarch  derived  from  intercourse  with  him  a  welcome 
intellectual  stimulation.  Religion  can  be  enjoyed  in 
this  way ;  it  contains  ideas,  it  is  replete  with  mystery, 
and  it  can  be  preached  with  eloquence.  A  man  may 
hear  the  word  gladly,  for  the  sake  of  the  intellectual 
pleasure  it  affords  and  the  interest  of  the  preacher's 
personality,  who  has  no  thought  of  yielding  to  it  his 
heart  and  his  will.  The  same  state  of  mind  in  Herod 
was  exhibited  at  a  later  stage,  when  he  was  glad  to  see 
Jesus  because  he  expected  him  to  work  a  miracle.  But 
by  that  time  the  star  of  his  destiny  was  near  its  setting  ; 
and  Jesus  treated  him  with  lofty  disdain. 

At  this  early  stage,  however,  there  was  more  in 
Herod  than  the  insatiable  curiosity  of  a  man  of  pleas- 
ure. He  feared  John,  we  are  told,  **  knowing  that  he 
'1'^was  a  just  man  and  a  holy."  There  was  still  a  con- 
science in  him.  By  one  nod  to  a  myrmidon  to  cut  him 
down,  when  he  uttered  his  uncourtly  charge,  he  might 
have  silenced  the  prophet ;  but  he  let  him  speak  on ; 
perhaps  he  even  liked  his  faithfulness.  Ungodly  people 
sometimes  admire  a  minister  the  more  because  he  is 
not  afraid  of  their  faces  and  does  not  spare  their  sins. 
They  know  it  is  his  duty ;  and  they  would  despise  him 
if  he  neglected  it  through  fear  of  them.  Policy  is  not 
likely  to  make  a  minister  faithful,  yet  it  is  true  that 
faithfulness  is  the  best  policy.  And  when  faithfulness 
is  backed  up  by  character  it  commands  the  homage  of 
all  who  are  not  utterly  corrupt.     As  Herod  listened  he 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  263 

felt  how  awful  goodness  is,  and  his  conscience  consented 
to  the  law  that  it  was  good. 

But  conscience  requires  to  be  not  only  heard  but 
obeyed ;  and  this  was  where  Herod  lost  himself,  as 
multitudes  do.  He  went  further,  indeed,  than  some. 
One  version,  apparently  the  better  authenticated,  says 
that  he  was  much  perplexed ;  another  says,  more  sig- 
nificantly, that  he  did  many  things.  Perhaps  he  prayed; 
perhaps  he  wept ;  perhaps  he  gave  up  this  sin  and  that ; 
perhaps  he  did  this  and  that  act  of  clemency  or  gener- 
osity. But  one  thing  he  would  not  do,  and  it  was  the 
one  thing  needful.  All  the  time  he  was  walking  round 
this  great  thing  in  the  centre  of  his  life  and  the  many 
things  were  only  meant  to  make  up  for  its  omission. 
This  is  not  an  unusual  position.  There  is  one  thing 
which  people  know  must  be  done ;  they  will  multiply 
other  things,  they  can  do  all  other  things,  but  this  they 
will  not  and  they  cannot  do.  They  hear  God's  thunder 
roUing  overhead ;  they  weep  and  pray ;  but  still  the 
one  thing  needful  remains  undone. 

Meantime  the  conscience  sadly  suffers.  Conscience 
ought  to  be  obeyed  instantly,  and  it  is  only  by  prompt 
obedience  that  its  tone  is  maintained.  But,  if  the  con- 
demning voice  of  the  law  is  heard  continually  and  as- 
sented to,  but  not  obeyed,  conscience  becomes  a  mere 
pulp,  in  which  nothing  can  take  hold  ;  the  character  is 
demoralized ;  and  the  indulgence  of  religious  feeling 
and  the  multiplication  of  religious  acts  only  make  it 
worse.  We  can  trace  the  history  of  the  degeneration 
of  Herod's  conscience.  When,  some  time  after  the 
Baptist's  murder,  the  fame  of  Jesus  reached  his  ears,  he 


264  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

was  still  capable  of  an  access  of  bewildering^  terror.  "  It 
is  John  the  Baptist,"  he  exclaimed,  "  risen  from  the 
dead."  But,  later,  when  the  Baptist's  Friend  was  sent 
to  him  for  trial  by  Pilate,  he  had  lost  all  dread  and  all 
shame ;  he  behaved  at  first  with  the  most  cynical  friv- 
olty,  and  when  the  silence  of  Jesus  dislodged  him  from 
this  attitude  he  only  made  the  transition  to  insane  ar- 
rogance and  mockery.  His  conscience  had  become 
seared.  And  this  is  the  natural  history  of  this  faculty. 
Loyally  followed,  it  is  the  surest  guide  to  the  heights  of 
nobility  and  serenity,  but  tampered  with,  or  neglected, 
it  becomes  the  brand  of  moral  degradation,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  hides  within  itself  the  secret  of  retributive 
torment. 

The  Baptist  had  no  cause  to  apprehend  immediate 
danger  from  Herod;  but  behind  the  tetrarch  there 
stood  another  figure,  whose  attitude  was  ominous. 
This  was  Herodias.  What  Jezebel  was  to  Elijah  in 
the  Old  Testament  Herodias  was  to  the  Elijah  of 
the  New  Testament.  She  was  worse.  Elijah  escaped 
from  the  deadly  hate  of  Jezebel  and,  as  he  had  pro- 
phesied, her  bones  were  devoured  by  the  dogs  of 
Jezreel;  but  John  did  not  escape  the  vengeance  of 
his  enemy. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  women  are  like  the 

figs  of  Jeremiah  :  when  good,  they  are  very  good,  but, 

when  bad,  they  are  very  bad. 

"  For  men  at  most  differ  as  heaven  and  earth, 
But  women,  worst  and  best,  as  heaven  and  hell." 

No  symptom  of  the  evil  age  in  which  the  Messiah 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  265 

came  to  this  world  was  more  noteworthy  than  the  char- 
acter of  its  women.  The  Agrippinas  and  Messalinas  of 
Roman  history,  with  their  colossal  passions,  were  the 
worst  index  of  the  ancient  world's  decay.  And  no- 
where did  this  corruption  assume  worse  forms  than  in 
Oriental  courts,  under  Roman  influence.  In  Cleopatra, 
the  paramour  of  Antony,  Shakespeare  has  depicted  the 
type  in  all  its  features  of  mingled  attractiveness  and 
abandonment. 

Herodias  was  a  woman  of  this  character.  She  had 
very  good  reasons  for  hating  John ;  because,  if  Herod 
put  her  away,  as  John  advised,  where  was  she  to  go  ? 
For  her  the  enjoyment  and  glory  of  life  were  over  for 
ever.  A  woman's  hatred  is  different  from  a  man's.  It 
sees  its  purpose  straight  before  it,  and  no  scruple  is 
allowed  to  stand  in  its  way.  Herod,  bad  man  as  he 
was,  feared  John  and  reverenced  him.  Not  so  Herodi- 
as ;  for  her  there  was  no  halo  round  the  prophet's  head. 
Either  he  must  die  or  she  be  banished  from  the  sun- 
shine, a  disgraced  and  ruined  woman ;  and  she  did  not 
hesitate  a  moment  between  the  alternatives. 

Josephus  says  that  the  Baptist  was  imprisoned  in 
Machaerus.  This  was  a  castle  or  palace  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Dead  Sea,  that  is,  far  in  the  south  of 
the  country ;  but  Herod's  regular  abode  was  Tiberias, 
on  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  It  is  just  possible  that  Herod 
sent  John  to  distant  Machaerus  to  be  out  of  harm's  way ; 
for  St.  Mark  says  that  "  Herodias  had  a  quarrel  against 
him,  and  would  have  killed  him,  but  Herod  .  .  .  .  pre- 
served him  "  ;  not  "  observed,"  as  the  common  version 
says ;  the   revised  version    renders,  "  kept   him   safe." 


266  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

Even  a  prison  may  be  a  welcome  protection  from  the 
wrath  of  an  angry  woman. 

But  Herodias'  implacable  hatred  never  slept,  and 
at  last  her  opportunity  came.  Herod  was  fond  of  all 
occasions  which  afforded  an  excuse  for  excitement ;  and 
he  had  borrowed  from  his  Western  masters  the  practice 
of  celebrating  his  own  birthday  with  elaborate  festivities. 
Machaerus  was  the  palace  chosen  on  this  occasion,  and 
there  he  assembled  "  the  lords,  high  captains,  and  chief 
estates  of  Galilee."  Herodias,  too,  was  there.  Herod, 
perhaps,  had  forgotten  all  about  John,  but  she  was 
thinking  of  nothing  else. 

The  bait  of  which  she  made  use  was  her  own 
daughter.  Few  things  in  this  world  are  more  touching 
and  beautiful  than  the  training  of  a  daughter  by  a  good 
mother,  whose  cares  and  prayers  fashion  the  virgin 
heart  of  her  child  into  a  sanctuary  of  all  that  is  pure, 
modest  and  holy.  But  a  wicked  mother,  transfusing 
into  her  daughter's  heart  the  hellish  passion  and  ma- 
lignity of  her  own  nature,  is  an  awful  spectacle. 

Dancing  is  one  of  those  things,  innocent  in  them- 
selves, which  often  serve  the  tempter  as  an  inclined 
plane  down  which  it  is  easy  to  get  human  beings  to 
descend.  Historically  it  has  been  associated  with  some 
scenes  of  the  worst  degradation  of  man  and  woman. 
In  the  corrupt  age  to  which  Herod  belonged  it  was 
much  sought  after  by  men  like  him,  and  nowhere  was 
it  more  relished  than  in  Oriental  courts.  Both  men 
and  women  practised  it  in  public  for  a  livelihood  ;  and 
those  who  distinguished  themselves  were  frequently  re- 
warded by  extravagant  presents.     Many  of  the  dances 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  267 

were  lewd  in  the  extreme  and  appealed  to  the  worst 
passions  of  human  nature. 

No  doubt  the  favorable  moment  was  watched  for 
by  Herodias,  when  the  tetrarch  and  his  boon  compan- 
ions had  reached  the  stage  at  which  evil  passions  can 
be  most  easily  blown  into  flame.  Then  the  girl  was 
introduced,  in  her  youth  and  beauty,  and  executed 
with  bewildering  grace  the  part  for  which  she  had  been 
trained.  The  sight  of  one  so  nearly  related  to  himself 
appearing  in  the  position  of  a  dancing-girl  or  play-ac- 
tress ought  to  have  filled  Herod  with  shame  and  indig- 
nation ;  but  the  daredevil  sauciness  and  the  abandon- 
ment of  a  princess  completely  carried  away  the  half- 
intoxicated  men,  who  looked  on  spellbound  and  broke 
out  into  wild  applause  ;  and  the  tetrarch,  entirely  losing 
control  of  himself,  roared  out  a  promise  to  give  her  any 
present  she  might  ask,  even  to  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 

One  Evangelist  says  that  the  girl  was  instructed 
beforehand  what  to  ask,  while  another  says  that  she 
went  to  consult  her  mother.  No  wonder,  however, 
that,  even  if  she  had  been  instructed  beforehand,  she 
went  to  ask  when  she  received  such  an  offer.  Half  of 
a  kingdom !  What  might  she  not  have  obtained — 
palaces,  jewels,  gorgeous  apparel — all  that  a  girl's  heart 
could  desire!  But  that  stony  face,  congealed  with 
hatred  and  fear,  met  her  hesitation  unmoved.  **  Little 
fool,  you  know  not  v/hat  you  ask :  what  would  all  these 
things  be  to  you  and  me,  unqueened  and  outcast,  as 
we  may  be  any  day  if  John  the  Baptist  lives?" 

So  she  came  back  into  the  hall  and  said,  "  Give 
me  here  immediately  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist  in  a 


268  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

charger."  She  was  still  playing  the  saucy  devil-may- 
care  ;  and  it  is  easy  to  imagine  the  roar  of  laughter  and 
admiration  with  which  the  pretty  wickedness  of  this 
request  would  be  greeted  by  the  tipsy  revellers. 

But  Herod  did  not  laugh.  He  grew  pale  and 
trembled ;  he  knew  that  he  had  been  entrapped.  For 
a  moment  the  fate  of  John  and  that  of  Herodias  hung 
in  the  balance.  Would  the  manhood  and  the  kinghood 
in  Herod  prevail  ?  Would  he  say,  "  No ;  I  have  been 
betrayed  ;  no  hand  shall  touch  a  hair  of  the  head  of  the 
man  whom  I  am  protecting  "  ?  Alas,  it  was  the  oppo- 
site half  of  Herod's  self  which  came  forth — the  weak, 
cowardly  side.  He  was  swept  away  by  the  drunken 
shouts  of  his  courtiers  ;  he  affected  to  believe  that  he 
felt  scrupulous  about  his  oath.  Perhaps  the  strongest 
motive  of  all  was  dread  of  the  blood-thirsty  Fury  by 
whom  the  whole  scene  had  been  contrived. 

Like  mother,  like  daughter.  Salome  had  played 
her  part  well.  But  what  a  burden  was  that  for  the  girl 
to  receive  and  carry  away  in  the  charger  !  Doubtless 
she  kept  up  her  gay  and  frivolous  mood  as  long  as  the 
eyes  of  others  were  upon  her ;  but  surely  her  heart 
quailed  when  she  was  out  of  the  lighted  hall  and  alone 
with  the  ghastly  object.  The  eyes  of  that  other  face, 
however,  did  not  quail,  but  flashed  with  the  fire  of 
hell,  as  they  devoured  the  hated  features.  When  the 
head  of  Cicero  was  brought  to  Fulvia,  the  widow  of 
Clodius  and  the  wife  of  Antony,  she  drove  her  hair-pin 
again  and  again  into  the  tongue  which  had  denounced 
the  iniquities  of  both  her  husbands ;  and  Herodias  was 
capable  of  doing  as  much  at  least. 


HIS   MARTYRDOM.  269 

She  remained  Herod's  evil  genius  to  the  end.  The 
death  of  the  Baptist  filled  the  tetrarch's  subjects  with 
horror  ;  and  King  Aretas  led  an  army  into  the  country 
to  avenge  the  dishonor  done  to  his  daughter,  inflicting 
on  Herod  a  severe  defeat  which  the  people  attributed 
to  the  wrath  of  heaven.  Herod  appealed  to  the  Ro- 
mans for  help  ;  but  in  the  nick  of  time  the  emperor  died 
on  whose  favor  he  depended.  Urged  on  by  the  ambi- 
tion of  Herodias  he  went  to  Rome,  to  pay  homage  to 
the  new  emperor  and  to  beg  for  himself  the  title  of 
king.  But  the  new  emperor,  being  prejudiced  against 
him,  not  only  refused  his  request  but  deprived  him  of 
his  government  altogether.  Herod  was  banished  to 
Lyons,  in  the  south  of  France,  where  he  and  Herodias 
died  miserably. 

Nothing  is  told  of  the  tragedy  inside  the  prison. 
When  the  apparition  of  death  confronted  John  so 
suddenly,  how  did  he  receive  it  ?  He  was  still  young, 
little  more  than  thirty ;  the  pulses  of  life  were  strong 
in  him ;  he  had  been  arrested  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
work,  and  much,  he  must  have  felt,  as  every  true 
worker  for  God  and  man  feels,  was  yet  to  be  done. 
Had  he  still  a  great  doubt,  which  he  was  yearning  to 
have  solved  before  leaving  the  world  ? 

There  are  few  scenes  more  pathetic  than  the  little 
company  of  his  disciples  gathering  at  the  prison  door 
to  take  up  the  poor,  mutilated  and  dishonored  trunk. 
Where  did  they  bury  it  ?  It  must  surely  have  been 
in  the  sand  of  the  desert — fit  resting-place  for  one 
who  had  so  loved  solitude   and  to  whom  society  had 


2/0  ST.   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

proved  so  unkind.     Into  his  grave  they  dropped  many 

a   tear   of  affection ;    and    many   a  golden   hope  and 

glorious  dream  they  buried  with  their  master.     Were 

they  thinking  that  surely  Jesus,  if  he  were  the  Christ, 

might    have    prevented    this?      Were   they   thinking 

of  the   enigma,  that  it  should  be  possible  for  a  man 

like  Herod  to  put  out  of  the  world  a  man  so  good 

and  so  beneficent  as  John  ? 

As  they  turned  round  from  the  grave,  the  heavens 

looked   very   blank   and   the  earth  very  vacant.     But 

a  true  instinct  told  them  where  to  go — "  They  went 

and  told  Jesus."    Ah,  blessed  road,  whereon  thousands 

upon  thousands  have  followed  them  since !     It  is  the 

right  road,  whatever  be  the  trouble ;  but  most  of  all 

when  the  waves  and   billows  of  doubt   are  breaking 

over  the  mind — when  it  looks  as  if  Providence  had  let 

go  the  rudder,  and  as  if  there  were  no   love  at  the 

heart  of  the  universe.     When  the  Son  of  God  appears 

to  have  abandoned  his  own  cause,  and  even  to  have 

given  occasion  to  doubt  his  very  existence,  then  carry 

the  trouble  to  no  one  else,  but  go  and  tell  Jesus. 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter 
And  he  will  make  it  plain." 

Long  since  has  he  made  plain  the  martyrdom  of 
the  Baptist ;  for  John  has  accomplished  far  more  by 
dying  than  he  could  ever  have  done  by  living.  He 
lives  on  in  the  world  with  an  influence  ever  extending ; 
it  is  even  he  who  keeps  alive  the  memory  of  Herod, 
Herodias  and  Salome,  who  murdered  him.  Whenever 
truth  has  to  be  defended  or  difficult  testimony  has  to 
be  borne,  there  his  image  sheds  a  welcome  inspiration; 


4 


HIS    MARTYRDOM.  27 1 

and  because  he  gave  up  his  life  rather  than  compro- 
mise with  sin,  therefore  his  voice,  crying,  "Repent!" 
still  echoes  in  the  hearts  of  men,  and  his  finger  is 
visible  across  the  centuries,  outstretched  towards  "  the 
Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world." 


Date  Due 


